The Irony of Witchcraft Book 5
by angelsunwalkerandkissingfish
Summary: Amber was completely average: average family, average school, and average best friend, but all that is about to change when they find a mysterious book in her basement. How is she going to get back home when an accident defies logic and she winds up in another world completely? A series not a Xover- prequel: not needed to understand
1. Flashback

_**Flashback**_

**A Spell goes Amiss and a Journey Begins**

The rain fell onto the window pane smashing into several transparent spheres. The girls emerald eyes wandered to her best friend. The second girl's grayish eyes met the other. They were peculiar, and at times foreign, they were green, but like hazel, seemed to change color depending on the light. Those eyes held many colors; unlike the other girl's, whose eyes only held the spectrums of blue and green. The second girl looked up and bit the bottom of her lip, a worried expression crossed her face as she tucked her curly, blond hair behind her ear.

"Amber, are you sure you should be doing this? If your parents catch you, it's going to be our heads." The first girl with emerald eyes, Amber Collins, beamed slightly. Her golden hair was slightly darker, and slightly shorter. While the second's reached past her shoulder blades to the middle of her back in golden curls, Amber's hair barely touched past her shoulders. And her skin, even though it was fair, was not as pale as the second's.

"Come on, Cindy Lou Who," the second one, Cynthia Baker, cringed at the unwanted nickname, "it's not like we're doing anything bad. It's just a little experiment." An exasperated sigh slipped through the second's lips. She wasn't winning, Amber had already decided what she wanted to do, and once Amber's mind was made up, Amber didn't stop, well, except for life and death situations (maybe), or peanut butter cups.

"Yeah, one that's going to get you electrocuted. Can't we just stay inside," Cindy pleaded.

"Oh, come on. I just want to see if the amount of electricity in lighting is enough to charge it." Amber held up the contraption that consisted of a car battery and several wires. Apparently, it was that object she had been referring to.

"Again, if you try that, we're going to be chipping your charred ass off of the roof," she could never comprehend how her friend, who was so intelligent, could be so stupid. A small black cat rubbed against Cindy's legs.

_Meow_

Amber's eyes followed the cat as its owner gingerly picked it up and stroked it behind the ear. Cindy grasped something on the animals back. She opened her fingers and held a large fishing spider that was the size of her palm out to her friend. "Uh Amber, Jimmy found Bob." The first girl's hand extended to receive the oversized spider that Cindy's cat had "found".

"My hello Bob, you look bigger today. Have you been snacking on the fish in the aquarium?"

"I'm sure he has, just one problem, you don't have an aquarium," Cindy said, dryly.

"Maybe she's been snacking in yours. Oh, wait, you don't have one either."

"Perhaps Bob has been snacking on Mr. Harrison's suicidal fish."

Amber laughed. Mr. Harrison was their high school biology teacher, and probably one of her favorite instructors.

"The fish that jump out of his tank and onto the floor?"

"Yeah those," Cindy nodded enthusiastically and she grinned and attempted to refrain from laughing.

"Oh, fine, Bob no more eating suicidal fish. I don't think they would make good antidepressants." She scolded her _pet _as she placed Bob on the wall beside her. A bolt of lightning streamed through the sky, followed by a large _crack_ of thunder. Cindy shrieked and covered her ears as she huddled into the corner.

"Why does it have to rain?" She whined, "I hate thunderstorms."

"It's just a little bit of lightning," Amber said reassuringly. It didn't help.

Lighting was probably Cindy's greatest fears. Collins never understood why she was afraid, but she didn't question it. There were other people with more illogical phobias in the world. Lightning flashed, again. Cynthia screamed as the room blacked out and they were left in darkness.

"Would you calm down," Amber lectured as she picked up a flashlight beside her and turned it on. "We just lost power. All we have to do is check the circuit breaker."

"In the basement?"

"Well, that's generally where circuit breakers are."

Amber motioned for Cindy to follow as she walker downstairs. Amber's family was wealthy, and their house was more like a mansion. It was great if you didn't want to be found, but being in it alone was incredibly unnerving. She opened the door to the basement. The wooden stairs creaked under her added weight as she walked. It was cold and damp and unsettling. It reminded Amber why she never came down here. She took her final step at the bottom of the stairs and tripped over Jimmy, Cynthia's cat. She tumbled onto the floor and dropped the flashlight. It rolled under the furnace.

"Damn it. Stupid cat! Why'd you bring him here anyway?" Amber cursed under her breath.

"You know my family is out of town for the next week. What was I supposed to do? Leave him there."

Amber rolled her eyes. Both her parents and Cynthia's parents were in another state for a week on vacation. After months of begging not to be required to go on the family vacation, their parents finally agreed to allow them to remain in town. The conditions were simple. The girls took care of the household chores, live together for the week, and a neighbor would be informed so that it was possible to check up on them. Reluctantly, they had agreed.

Amber reached under the furnace while searching blindly with only her sense of touch to guide her. Her hand brushed against something and grabbed it as she pulled the flashlight out. She turned it over in her hand. It was a book, and a very old one.

"Hey, what did you find?" Cynthia asked peering over her shoulder.

"Don't know," Amber shrugged as she flipped through the pages. It was filled with old drawings and writing. She stopped on a page with an elaborate circle.

"It kind of looks like one of the circles from that show, you know the one. Fullmetal?"

"Yeah, it kind of does."

"Wow, Amber, I knew you were a fan, but I didn't know you were _that _obsessed," Cynthia laughed referring to the detailed drawings in the book.

"I've never seen this before?" she traced the old handwriting with her index finger.

"You haven't? Come on, you're just pulling my leg, right?"

Amber shook her head. Flipping through the pages, she noted that most dialect was written in a language she couldn't identify. With her best guess, she would have assumed that somebody invented it rather than evolving with time. Only one page had been translated in several well known languages and it was a warning that Amber didn't feel like reading. From what she skimmed over, it mentioned something about those reading the book would suffer a catastrophic consequence, or unleash a curse, or whatever, blah, blah, blah. She didn't really believe it or care. After all, what was a book going to do, bore her to death? Besides, if a book was that dangerous, the person who wrote it should have destroyed it in the first place. The more she thought about it, the more the situation was beginning to sound like a bad, horror movie. Amber turned the page.

"Cynthia, look at this," she pointed to the words on the page. "Iz-"

"Don't read it!"  
"Why not?"

"What if something bad happens?"  
"Like what, awaking an undead spirit and bringing an end to humanity? Come on, it's not like we're going to get sucked into the T.V. or something."

"Just put it down. Come on, Amber. It's creepy down here," Cynthia shivered. The atmosphere was more eerie. Collins assumed it was a combination of the lack of light and the appearance of the mysterious book. Things didn't just happen. There was always a scientific explanation.

"Would you calm down? It's just a book."

"That magically appeared in your basement."  
"It's more likely that the original family that lived here probably left it behind."

"Do you know the girl in horror stories that ignores all of the warnings and still goes into the obviously haunted house and then dies? You're her."

"Yes, but this isn't a haunted house. This is _my_ house. I lived here since I was a kid. Look,"

Amber began reading the text. They were difficult pronounce correctly and had trouble with some of the sentences. Cynthia struggled to snatch the book from her hands, but Amber was too quick. She ducked away from Cindy's reach and continued reading.

_Izu kami heti_

_Emu, natrat, oesia_

_Ode sia a miea_

She ducked away from Cindy's reach and continued reading. It was becoming difficult to hold the flashlight and carry the book, but she needed the light.

_Et amo sia demoria_

_Y chreyat assoam emad_

_Ama aso_

Her hand touched the elaborate circle drawn on the paper as she finished.

"Do you see? Nothing happened." Amber smirked. She wondered if Cindy was about to have a heart attack.

"Yeah, I guess," Cynthia said while avoiding eye contact. She froze. Her jaw dropped and she starred at the page, mouth agape.

"What?" Amber asked as she looked down. Her body tensed and she could feel the warmth drained from her.

Something wasn't right. It emitted violet and golden light from its center. The room began to spin and images blurred together. The circle extended out as everything swirled in front of them. It had been activated, whatever it was, and had begun to take effect. A lump formed in the girls' throats. Amber closed the book and threw it onto the floor as far away as possible. A gale of wind enclosed them and blew the pages back to the words she had read. It was too late to stop it. An image that replicated the circle in the book appeared and extended onto the floor. It was dark and ominous as it formed beneath their feet. The two friends gazed into the abyss with shock and panic. The floor dissolved beneath them.

"What's happening?" Cynthia heard Amber ask. It was soft and seemed distant, and full of fright. The question wasn't directed toward Cindy, more like to an unknown source, but all the younger friend could do was shake her head in confusion.

The light began to grow and become stronger. Both girls were forced to close their eyes. The gust became stronger as the wind surrounded them and encased the room as if it was a contained hurricane. And as quickly as it begun, it stopped.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Boy from the Stars and the Girl from Between the Worlds**

"GIR, hurry up!" He shouted at his robot. The alien's eyes glowed red in the pale moon light as he fiddled with his invention. Stepping back, he admired his work. It was large and bulky with a frame that resembled a dream catcher with many computers along the side.

"Yes, Master," GIR's metallic body glinted as he carried a massive piece of machinery and attached it to the base of the invention as Zim, the alien, connected what appeared to be a PDA to the device.

"Computer, run a diagnostic check."

"Levels are normal. Frequency emitted at 5432 E 24 hertz. Everything remains stable," an electronic voice recited somewhere inside the device held in Zim's hand. Several bars and monitors flashed across the screen in an array of colors.

"Excellent, excel—GIR, stop chasing that squirrel!"

"Oooook."

"How many times do I have to tell you? We need to be completely focused! Do you have any idea what we're doing out here?"

"I don't know," GIR's voice fluctuated between several octaves. He stared at Zim, with empty blue eyes that would normally suggest that someone was not completely present inside their own mind. It was days like today that Zim began to wonder if GIR was fully functioning.

"As I said _before_, the tallest have never been able to seen an armada due to the length of the voyage. With this, we can shorten the amount of time it takes to travel. All we have to do is create a rift that splits space and time between these worlds causing them to overlap. That will allow us to create the primary portal here and a secondary portal next to Irk," Zim shouted at the top of his lungs. He began laughing maniacally. His voice echoed through the open field where they stood and reverberated around the trees. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze emphasizing his insane laughter. GIR cocked his head to the side indicating he did not understand.

"Do you remember when we tried to send Dib to the room with the moose?" Zim sighed. "It's the same _thing_."

"I like moose."

"I know you do," he growled as he began flipping switches and turning dials. The machine flickered to life and an electric current began to course through the center of the oversized ring that made the invention.

Turbines began to spin, faster and faster while generating more power. The center glowed, bright blue and then green as a thin, translucent veil formed in the ring, but something went wrong. The veil's faded to purple as it began overheating. Components that were designed to ensure everything went according to plan begin malfunctioning. The portal grew, its gravitational pull dragging everything around it before it imploded and collapsed on itself. Energy was forced out the way air would be forced out of a popped balloon.

It then she had appeared as the velocity gave her the appearance of flight as she was forced out of where Zim had began his experiment along with copious amounts of dirt and debris. She was screaming the entire time, her shrill voice piercing the silent night. The girl collided with the ground forcefully and skidded to a stop as the friction from the grass slowed her. A few moments after she had stopped moving, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her hand was pressed firmly against her forehead as if trying to resolve her dazed and disoriented state.

Zim stared, with mouth agape. His plan had failed, miserably. He was frozen where he stood, unable to comprehend what had gone wrong. All of his calculations were correct as far as he knew and he, Zim, would surely know better than anyone else. It was true he made a functioning portal, but she was not Irken. In fact, it was not difficult to distinguish her race. He could tell by her blonde hair and pale skin that she was human, and probably no different than the other worm babies. The girl's figure was identical to them.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. It was almost intangible. Zim was sure the only reason he could hear it was that his antenna were more developed than human ears.

"Now where am I?" The human child continued as she began massaging her right wrist as she looked around clueless. He could see her blood dripping from a couple of scratches she had acquired on her arm. Her clothes were torn. The Earth people were so feeble and weak. Zim could not understand why they lacked the durability of Irkens.

She turned and Zim could see her emerald eyes with flecks of blue. It was then he came to the realization he was not wearing any form of disguise. The girl blinked a couple times as if her brain was trying to register something it didn't have the capacity to handle. She rubbed her eyes and as she did this, Zim was able to sneak into the shadows with GIR. He ordered his robot to be quiet while they hid. The female looked around confused and Zim wondered how much she had actually seen. It was possible that the shadows that stretched among the darkness would conceal him partially and what she had seen would register as a trick of the light, or lack of light.

"Hey, is anybody out there!" She called helplessly while looking around confused. After several minutes of silence, she bit her lip. "That's so weird I could have sworn…"

He could see her eyeing his invention. It had collapsed on itself, and probably happened when the portal disappeared. She walked up to the scrap metal and kicked it as she grumbled some kind of inquiry about a person being stupid enough to leave it unattended. The girl searched her surroundings, but either she didn't have the ability to understand what had happened, or she didn't care. Either way, she shrugged while limping away. When Zim was positive she was completely gone, he turned to his assistance droid.

"GIR, arrange a transport to hide any evidence of our presence here."

"Yes, Master," the robot's tone deepened and its eyes flashed red.

Amber Collins awoke on a park bench the following morning. She grimaced as she tried to stretch her stiff muscles. They protested with a consistent ache as they wanted to refuse cooperation. Part of her wondered if sleeping on the ground would have been easier on her body. Amber slid off the bench. Her stomach growled acknowledging she hadn't eaten in several hours. She glanced over her shoulder at the empty park. The only other life she had encountered in this world would have been the figure from the previous night. However, it had disappeared so quickly she was now begging to assume she had imagined it.

Amber shrugged. She had seen many bizarre things that normal people wouldn't understand since she began (for lack of a better word) jumping between worlds. She was curious how much time had passed in her home since she had fallen through the rift. Would it have been only a few moments, or several centuries? Every world appeared to have its own time line. Her green eyes searched her surroundings, looking for _something_ that indicated where she currently resided. When no clues became evident, she began wandering around the town.

There were several stores with clothes displayed in the windows. Amber looked at her own attire which had several tears and holes in it. She sighed knowing that a new outfit was needed. Her clothes in their current condition would not be practical for blending into this society. Reluctantly, Amber strolled into a nearby shop. While she was there, she picked up a new shirt (which was long enough to be a short dress), tights, black boots, fingerless gloves, and a short sleeved, hooded jacket before sliding into a back room and changing. Using a knife hidden underneath her right sock, she cut off the tags and sensors before leaving and walking out of the door of the shop. Amber _hated_ stealing, but her old clothes were torn and tattered, most likely from the crash that occurred during her entrance. Besides, without money there was no way to pay for anything, so she would have to make due. It was almost like unknowingly donating to charity. Well, that was a poor comparison, but at least she actually was homeless.

Amber continued walking and glanced at her reflection in another store further down the street. She stopped examine herself in the window hoping that she would pass for normal here. Her new jacket was green with white sleeves and hood. The striped tights were a perfect match, alternating between the two colors. Slytherin, Collins smiled, how fitting. She combed her fingers through her hair, attempting to straighten of the loose tangles. Two strands of hair were becoming particularly annoying as she toyed with them. Both stuck up behind her bangs and swished in a graceful loop ending close to her ears. No matter how hard she would press them against her skull, they refused to lay flat. It was clear that getting her hair to do what she wanted it to do would be difficult here.

"Why does life have to be so unfair," she whined while she explored the unfamiliar streets. Nothing was recognizable and everything was either terribly average or incredibly disgusting. It was dark, even the grass and sky were incredibly drab. She leaned against a chain linked fence, exhausted. "I don't remember seeing any of this. Hey-" Amber exclaimed as was hoisted up into the air by the back of her hood. Her feet dangled freely above the ground, and she tilted her head so she could make eye contact with a very large and dirty man.

"Hey, what? You're supposed to be in school," he grunted. His breath was worse than his body odor.

"School? What school?" Amber raised an eyebrow. This world had a school. That was a start. Most places she had visited did not require her to have a political based education.

"There!" He turned her to face the direction of a nearby building that read "Skool." She raised an eyebrow unsure if he was being serious.

"Your school, spelled school wrong," her tone was flat.

"No, they didn't. You just don't know because you are not in school. That means you're not smart enough to understand."

"Ok, first of all, I don't go there. Second, put me down."

"No, you need to go to school so you can get smarter-er."

"But, that's not even a word!" Amber protested as the man grumbled and dragged her across the pavement. Amber tried to resist, but the man was a lot stronger than she was, not to mention, three times her size. She yelped as his grip tightened in order to prevent her from flailing around like a fish out of water. The struggling accomplished nothing as he forced her into the building and opened what she assumed to be the closest door he could find.

"Ms Bitters, I found one. She was trying to escape, but I found her."

"Found me? I don't even go here you oversized gorilla!" Amber snapped. Her temper was getting the better of her and she could feel the control of her tongue slipping.

"Her? Her who?" The woman behind the front desk questioned with a scratchy voice. She must have been the teacher. Before Amber could blink, the woman was in front of her, dressed in black from head to toe. "She doesn't look like any of my students and I don't believe I lost one recently. What is your name girl?"

"A-Amber Collins ma'am," Amber stuttered as her blood turned as cold as ice. Terrifying would be an understatement to describe this teacher. Demon in human form, that one would be the most accurate.

"Thank you, Mr. Hoffsteader." Ms Bitters smiled as the man dropped Amber on the floor and left. Ms. Bitters turned to the class while grabbing Collins by the shoulder to prevent her from sneaking away. "Class, it appears we have a new student. Please, welcome Amber. I expect you to make her life as miserable as you do mine."

Amber glanced over the class. Her eyes settle on a boy in the front row. More specifically, her eyes settled on the green boy wearing a black wig. He scowled in his seat obviously not interested in learning. Horror spread through Amber and dread made her stomach churn. She screamed as her brain registered where she was. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, she clapped her hands over her mouth realizing the mistake.

"Is there a problem, Amber?"

Amber shook her head instinctively. She was not about to make this teacher angry.

"Then perhaps you will be polite enough to take your seat next to Zim?"

Amber nodded obediently and plopped down at the empty desk feeling as if her mind was no longer inside her body. She was not pleased. This show was creepy enough when she was watching it on the television, and now she had to _live_ in it. _  
"Great, just great."_ Amber thought as she turned to the alien boy sitting next to her. His eyes flickered for a moment and she tried to avoid them by focusing on the chalk board at the front of the room. Unfortunately, it was almost as if they were baiting her. She looked, again, out of the corner of her eyes. This time, it was Zim who turned to face the board in order to avoid eye contact.

There was no mistaking it. Amber could see it through the plastic lenses. Her hypothesis was only reinforced by Zim's inability to continue to look at her. It was faint, but still there. He may still be unsure or in denial, but all of it was written on his facial expressions and body language. Most people wouldn't notice it because the actions would be too subtle, but it was the same distinct, glimmer of recognition that Amber had whenever she recognized someone from a new world when she had visited. That was the only reason she knew what his expression meant. The proof was there, the conclusion was evident. Somehow, Zim knew her.

Amber had tried to be a model student. One of the girls next to her had given her an extra notebook and pen. She had wanted to take notes, but after hearing the word "doom" being constantly repeated by the instructor for over an hour, her notes quickly became a sketch depicting Ms Bitters burning in the sun. Zim leaned over his desk, intrigued at what Amber was focused on. It didn't take long for her to notice him; he wasn't exactly inconspicuous. She angled the page so he could see the drawing. It must have amused him because he began laughing uncontrollably after seeing it.

"What is so funny?" Ms Bitters shouted. She glared menacingly at them. Instinctively, Amber tore the page out of the notebook, crushed it into a small wad, dropped it on the floor behind her, and kicked it several rows back.

"N- Nothing," Amber stuttered. "Just your impending 'doom' in the sun," she muttered quietly under her breath. Zim began snickering and Amber assumed he had heard the second statement. Ms. Bitters must not have noticed, because she continued rambling about how the universe was doomed.

"Would you be quiet? You're going to get us caught." Amber's voice was barely audible as she addressed Zim.

"Nonsense foolish human worm baby, the she devil is as oblivious as the pig smellies."

"Really? Good to know. So, if you think you're so much better than anyone else, why are you talking to me?"

"Do not be mistaken by the thought that I, Zim, would think different of you, _child_. You're mockery of the she-beast merely entertained me, nothing more."

"Amber, my name is Amber. It's not that hard to remember. Call me anything else except that and you will be leaving school with your arms tied in a knot behind your back."

He glared at her and Amber responded by sticking her tongue out. She knew it was probably foolish in insult him, and one of the few things she remembered was that he had a tendency to overreact. Unfortunately, Amber was currently having trouble in terms of considering Zim a threat. He would most likely thwart himself without any help. Still, she knew that tempting fate would not be in her best interest. Was that not how she got forced in her current predicament? A bell rang and Amber stood. Even when she was wearing boots that elevated her height, she was still barely as tall as Zim.

"Look, I'm having a bad day," Amber explained. It wasn't a total lie. "Cut me some slack, ok?"

"What is this slack you are referring to? Tell me."

"You're joking, right?"

The irken didn't say anything. He blankly stared at her. Was slang really that different here? She was still on Earth, a bizarre and disgusting Earth, but that shouldn't have made a difference. Apparently, she was wrong.

"I guess not," Amber sighed rubbing the back of her head. "It means, don't take it personally. I'm taking my frustration out on you, and I shouldn't."

"Why are you apologizing to him?" A boy dressed in a black trench asked. "I doubt he has feelings anyway."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Did you not notice the green skin when you met him?"

"Oh my word! You have green skin!" Amber exclaimed. Her jaw dropped and she fanned her arms as if she had made an amazing discovery. The mannerisms were slightly exaggerated by her sarcasm, but the expression was believable. Dib slapped his forehead and sulked away grumbling something about Amber being just like everyone else in his school. Amber smirked when Dib was out of earshot.

"That was kinda funny."

"What?" Zim raised an eyebrow suspicious of the girl standing next to him.

"Come on, you don't think I realized you had green skin? That was the first thing I noticed. Then it was your ears- or lack of ears- in this case. How hasn't anyone noticed that by the way?"

"It's a skin condition."

"And people believe you?"

"Yes, the humans aren't the—Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zim snapped. He jumped onto a nearby desk to make himself look taller. Amber held his gaze not knowing why it was so easy to show her true personality around him. It could have been because she knew both of them were hiding some form of a secret that could destroy them if the wrong people discovered it. Of course, the other logical possibility was that she didn't view him as a threat. It was hard to take someone seriously who appeared to be fueled by immense amounts of caffeine and sugar.

"Sorry, kid, but you're really not that intimidating," or maybe her desire to flirt with danger and tempt fate gave her a death wish. Now that Amber thought about it, the last reason would be the most likely.

"Tell me now, Human!"

She smiled over her shoulder as she turned to exit the classroom, "tell you what?"

"What you were just saying about people believing me."

"Oooooh, I forgot."

Zim twitched. Amber bit her bottom lip to prevent showing other signs of emotion. His expression was priceless, falling somewhere between calm rage and constipation. Oh, yeah, it was definitely influenced by the third one.

She skipped down the hall in the general direction she had seen then other students go. Luckily, Zim was going to the same place, so she was able to follow him. Amber had slowed her pace so he could pass her. He was still annoyed, but that would pass (she hoped).When they had entered the lunch room; they were separated in the large crowd of students. Amber got in line and one of the employees gave her what appeared to be a combination of black tar and gray goo.

When she reached the dining area she searched for a place to sit. Most tables shunned her because of her "new" status. Amber snorted and rolled her eyes. This was a unique experience that reminded her why she disliked this show in her early teens. "_Stupid cliques._"

"Well, if you're human, why don't you eat any food?" Dib questioned as she passed. Amber stopped. This conversation sounded interesting.

"Nonsense, my human-earth belly is just full from eating so much delicious food," Zim raised his voice while patting his stomach as if he was trying to get everyone in the cafeteria to hear him.

"Face it, Zim, you can't eat it because you're-"

"This stuff is edible?" Amber interrupted. She scooped up the black substance with her spoon. It clung to the edges and slid back onto her tray. "It looks like sludge."

"It's just spinach."

"What kind of spinach looks like this?" Amber asked as she held out another spoonful for Dib to examine. He slapped it away from his face and out of her hand. She pouted upset by the loss of her spoon.

"Why are you defending him? Can't you see he's an alien?"

Collins turned to face Zim. He was sweating and his eyes shifted back and forth nervously. Zim's fingers drummed steadily on the table as he struggled to remain calm. Was he relying on her to confirm or disprove Dib's accusations? She was clearly more intelligent than most people in this world, and Amber wondered if Zim recognized this, too. Somewhere, Amber felt a new sense of sympathy. It wasn't his fault that his leaders hated him, besides who was she to choose who deserved to hold this world's fate. It's not as if the series ever ended, and it had several main characters, not just one like most places she had been. Mentally kicking herself, she realized what she was about to do.

"Nah! He's just a kid with a skin condition. He told me," she said matter-of-factly. Dib was furious, and had no idea what to do. His mouth kept opening and closing several times while trying to fathom how so many people could believe that lie. Amber jumped onto the table Zim was sitting at and set her tray beside her. Changing the subject would be in her best interest, and she wasn't a fool.

"So," Amber began while grabbing an apple off of Dib's tray. She held it up to him and he nodded, acknowledging she could have it. Tossing it between her hands, she continued, "do you guys have a computer lab here?"

"Go out those doors, down the hall to your right. It will be on your left, but Ms Bitters doesn't like it when students sneak around the halls during lunch."

"Don't worry, Dib. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, but-" Dib hesitated and eyed Amber suspiciously as her comment registered, "I never gave you my name."

"Ahh, you didn't, did you?"

Amber laughed nervously and could feel the blood drain from her cheeks and take away the warmth from her face. She continually grew paler from realizing the mistake that he brought to her attention. Today was not a good day, and she was getting more reckless by the minute. Amber coughed as if she was clearing her throat. Truthfully, she was just trying to buy more time while racking her brain for an excuse. Collins desperately wished she had more knowledge of the characters from this realm. Time was ticking and Amber knew she would have to come up with an explanation soon or have its validity questioned. She scratched the back of her head and then, the idea came.

"Your dad"

"My dad?"  
"Yeah, he's a famous scientist, or something, isn't he? I saw a picture of him with you in the news."

"Yep, Professor Membrane, I'm surprised you know about him. You don't strike me as the type that would."

"Believe me, there are a lot of things you wouldn't expect from me," Amber grinned and took a bite of the apple. Dib didn't know how much the truth was behind those words. To an average person who couldn't fully comprehend, it would be assumed that she was referring to him judging people before he knew them. Many wouldn't consider the possibility of communicating with someone who had been between worlds.

Regardless of the extent Dib understood, it did bring up an interesting topic. Before Amber knew it, they were in an in depth conversation about the paranormal. The main focus was on aliens, which Collins admitted that the existence of life on other planets was fathomable for her imagination. In her mind, she noted that it wasn't something she could criticize considering her experience on the subject. They spent the entire lunch period talking about it. At the end, Dib left to meet with his sister and waved as he departed. Amber slid off of the table and flinched when she saw Zim. He was being so quiet she had forgotten he was there. That was ironic; she never considered Zim would be able to keep his mouth shut for an extended amount of time.

"What?" Amber asked. Zim wouldn't stop staring at her. It was as if he was expecting her to grow a second head, and it was starting to freak her out.

"You are a strange, _human_."

"What do you mean?"

He refused to answer her question. Zim only pushed himself away from the table, turned, and strutted out of the cafeteria. She watched him leave, slightly baffled because of all the people in this world, Amber would have considered herself the only normal one. Now that she thought about it, if she acted different than everyone else, that would make her the strange one here. Amber stretched as she followed the majority of the crowd, but instead of turning in the direction of the classroom, she turned right toward the computer lab.

If she was going to reside here, she would have to make accommodations. Before she was completely separated from the group, Amber instructed one of the girls in her class to inform the teacher that she wasn't feeling well and went to the infirmary. Her classmate agreed to the request without questioning Amber's motives. In some circumstances, Amber was fortunate that many people here were oblivious. She would just have to remember to be more careful around Dib and Zim. They were the ones (if anyone) that would discover her origins, and Amber didn't feel like explaining her situation to either one of them.


	3. Chapter 2

**Enter the Hacker**

It didn't take long for Amber to hack into the school's files. Accessing restricted information had always been one of her strengths, even though she seldom had the opportunity to use it. The data scanned across the screen as she hit series after series of keys in order to examine student files. Zim's file came up. He had obviously broken into the school's network. Most of his information was very inconclusive, including lack of a last name. However, living with an alien, who had robot parents, sounded like a poor decision on Amber's part. Next.

The name Keef DeVries appeared. He seemed like a decent candidate, grades were reasonable and he was described as an outgoing individual. The file also mentioned him showing some signs of obsession, but Amber assumed most people here would have that. "_Wait,_" her fingers stopped typing for a second, "_wasn't Keef the one who wanted to make friends with whoever paid him the slightest amount of attention to him?_" Amber could vaguely remember the episode. It was one of the first ones that caused her to lose interest in the show. She sighed, now that she thought about it, she was positive it was the same person. No sense giving herself constant migraines, next.

Dib Membrane was next. He was intelligent, Amber couldn't deny that. She tapped her finger on the table while considering the possibility. If he found out about her, then it was likely that there would be problems, but she was human, so how would he figure it out? It wasn't as if she walked around with green skin. Despite that, she was human even if she was a little quirky. Unfortunately, living with the Membranes would make it harder to blend in. They were cleverer than other people here and that meant it might be difficult to trick them. But, Amber was clever, too; she would just have to be more careful. Of course, a benefit would be that she would have access to a lab, which might mean she could get out of this universe faster, provided she figured out how to open another portal.

With that knowledge, she made her decision and started working. First, she developed a fake file in the school with contact and emergency information. Amber then hacked into Professor Membrane's network. That took more work than she was expecting. There were more codes protecting his information than what the school had in terms of security which made sense because of his reputable work.

She was then able to add Professor Membrane as a secondary contact. It would be necessary if she was going to live there and wanted her story to be believable. Finally, Amber was then able to access Professor Membrane's email and create several fake messages that described how the person contacting him was a friend of his cousin. Amber wrote several emails that indicated she had been having trouble in school, particularly with rebellion, and how her mother hoped that living with Professor Membrane would encourage Amber's learning and behavior. She wrote Professor Membrane's response that he would be more than happy to help and that he would introduce Amber to his children when he picked her up. She would be more than welcome to attend his children's school district during her stay.

When the emails were finished, Amber edited them so that it would appear as if the conversation had occurred over an extended amount of time and several weeks in advance. She then sent a memo to Professor Membrane's lab that was designed to 'remind' him to pick her and his children up after school so that they could become acquainted. Amber only hoped that Professor Membrane would be like everyone else in this world and not question why he had no memory of responding to the emails. Either way, she didn't leave any major details, so if Professor Membrane knew his lab had been hacked it he should only ignore the messages.

Amber leaned back so she could admire her work. Everything fit together perfectly and was considerably reasonable. She looked at the clock as she massaged her fingers. She had been working for almost two hours. School would be out soon, but Amber knew she should probably return to Ms Bitters' class. If she was caught pacing the halls it might be the death of her, literally.

When she returned, Ms Bitters glared at her, but did not inquire as to where Amber had been. As long as her students returned, she probably didn't care. Of course, it wasn't as if she could criticize a student for not feeling well. After the final bell rang, Amber followed the crowd of students out the front doors. She sat down on the steps and waited. Several people passed her while she waited. A black Mercedes skidded to a sudden stop on the curve. Half of the car came up on the sidewalks. One of the doors opened and a tall man dressed in a white lab coat stepped out. His hair stuck up in the air forming a jagged spike and Amber knew immediately everything had gone according to plan.

"Kids!" Professor Membrane bellowed dramatically.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Dib asked, surprised that his father had taken time from his busy schedule to pick them up from school. The girl with violet hair next to him didn't seem to care at all as she repeatedly pressed bottoms on a hand-held game.

"I completely forgot about a promise I made with my cousin's friend. You remember the one."

"Actually, I don't. You never mentioned any of this to us."  
"Really? I could have sworn I did. Regardless, her daughter will be staying with us for an indefinite amount of time. Just until her grades improve and her parents can smooth things over in their home life and such…" Professor Membrane searched his surrounding and Amber knew at that point the show had begun. She rested her chin in her hands and acted as if she were sulking. The scientist approached her. Even though she couldn't see it through the raised neck line of his coat, Amber assumed he was smiling.

"You must be Irene's little girl."

"Yeah, the name's Amber. Look mister, I appreciate what you're trying to do for my mom, but I don't need help. I can take care of myself. Not to mention, I was perfectly fine before you people dragged me out of my old school district." She complained knowing that any regular student would not be pleased with being taken away from their old friends and placed in a new environment. Professor Membrane grasped the back of her jacket and yanked her onto her feet. Amber grimaced realizing how much she hated people doing that. It made it almost impossible to protest which made her feel weak.

"Nonsense, we can't have you out on the street by yourself. Besides, it will be fun. Those are my kid's right there." he pointed to Gaz and Dib. Both stood directly behind him. Dib showed more interest than his sister. That didn't surprise Amber in the least. "We'll just drop you off at the house and get you situated. Then, you can talk with them as long as you want." Professor Membrane continued.

"Yeah, whatever," Amber shrugged acting as if she could care less as she followed the scientist to his car. She passed Dib, who watched her curiously but didn't suspect her. They entered the car. Amber took the back seat as Dib and Gaz argued who would get the front. Even if it was more of Dib whining and Gaz crushing his wrist, which was the main reason Gaz won, of course. Reluctantly, Dib crawled into the back next to Amber.

Amber played her role well as if she actually was an ornery teenager that didn't want anything to do with being transferred to a new school. She answered questions as if she were sulking and was cautious not to give too much detail on her previous life. They arrived home and Professor Membrane showed her to the guest room and she remained there for several hours. When nobody bothered her for that extended amount of time she assumed everyone had believed her.

About a few weeks after Amber's arrival, things had returned to normal. Zim entered Ms Bitters' class and saw her talking with Dib. Amber was sitting on the desk. Her feet dangled off the edge and swung freely. She had grown more accustomed with the Membrane family for reasons he did not understand. He sat down at the desk next to her and listened to the conversation she was having with the Membrane boy.

"Don't deny it Amber. I know you ate the last Crunchios," Dib said.

"I did not. I ate the cereal with chocolate in it."

"Those are the Crunchios."

"Oh," Amber stated. Her face flushed, "my bad."

Dib slapped his forehead because of his frustration with the girl who had been residing with him. Several similar situations had occurred in the beginning of her arrival. For unknown reasons, she wasn't familiar with the terminology most Earthlings used and that generally created problems between her and others. It was amusing watching Dib squirm and not know how to describe things to the young, female human.

"Never mind," Dib sighed. "Look, Gaz wants to go to Bloaty's after school. Do you want to go?"

Amber stared at him blankly and blinked a couple times.

"You have no idea what Bloaty's is, do you?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't know Bloaty's? It's a, um, ahh…" her voice trailed off. It reminded Zim of the tone he used when he was trying to answer a question he didn't know. "Food," Amber said, but it sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Restaurant, it's a pizza restaurant," Dib explained. He was trying to be patient, but the strain in his response suggested he was struggling.

"I said that!"

"You said food!"

"Close enough," Amber shrugged.

"No, it's not!"

"Is so!" She jumped off of her perch and grabbed Zim's arm to pull him into a hug. "Zim agrees with me. Right Zim?"

"Release me, insolent human!" Zim shouted at the top his lungs while flailing his arms. Amber glared at him and her grip tightened. He was still her favorite. This human found pleasure in harassing him. It was never serious and the actions were small things; nothing compared to what Dib would do. No, Amber's were far more subtle. She preferred excessive touch which would generally demonstrate a form of human affection he never understood, but he was positive she did it just to raise his temper.

"Why? Is it bugging you?" She smirked and mussed his hair.

"You will regret this, Amber. I will have my revenge. You will rue this day! Rue it!" He shouted while slapping her hand away and pushing her into the desk.

"Oh relax, Zim. I'm just messing with you. It's all in good fun," She grinned and patted him on the back.

"Fun? FUN?!"

"Yeah, I just like seeing your face."

"Stupid girl! I make no such face!"

"Yes, you do. You're doing it right now. See?" Amber laughed as she poked his cheek. He grabbed her finger but she was a lot faster than the other Earth monkeys. Collins lowered her hand and pulled her arm back up as she pivoted on the ball of her right foot. That did two things. First, it gave Amber the chance to rotate her wrist so that she was holding Zim's instead of the other way around. Second, it maneuvered her so she would be behind him. That allowed her to press his arm firmly against his own back to prevent him from countering. She released him almost as quickly as it had happened.

"Wow! Did you see that? Look at how lucky I got," Amber exclaimed.

Zim squinted. He knew that the actions had been too swift and the movements too fluid to only be influenced by fortune. She had been acting on reflex and impulse; that was certain. Still, the child had managed to disarm him and he was slightly impressed. Zim doubted that many other Irkens (let alone _humans_) would be able to do that, even if his guard was down.

But, Amber was a curious subject; she had been since the first he saw her that night. She was smarter than the others. There were times when he considered her knowledge to rival Dib's, but she hid it well, just like she did with her physical training. Zim still thought that she was protecting him a week ago when she denied noticing that he was an alien. Why Amber would have done that, he did not know. He just couldn't disregard the nagging feeling that the human female knew more than what she was revealing. If Amber wanted to be, she would be a formidable opponent, maybe even more than Dib.

"Zim? Heeellooooo? Are you still with us?" Amber waved her hand in front of his face. He slapped it away.

"Stop that!"

"Oh, I'll buy you a cookie at lunch. Will that make it better?"

The offer was tempting.

"They have chocolate chip, today," she chimed. Zim scratched his chin and considered the offer. He did like chocolate. It did not take long for her to discover his weakness for sweets and he found she often used the manipulation when she considered things to have progressed too far. That was one of the few reasons he had not implemented a revenge tactic. This one knew better than to invoke the wrath of Zim. Amber also made school a little more bearable. Her mocking of the she-beast, Ms Bitters, distracted him, even if it was only a couple times each day. It made things significantly less boring. Reluctantly, Zim stuck out his hand and Amber shook it.

"And, I suppose you're sitting with him, again, aren't you?" Dib grimaced.

"No offense, Dib, but I live with you. It's kind of nice to interact with different people once and a while."

"I don't know why you're talking to him in the first place."

"Well, I don't know why I talk to you half the time, either, but I do," Amber snapped. Apparently, she realized what she said after it had left her mouth and regretted it. She rubbed her temples as she tried to get control of her temper, "I'm sorry, Dib. I didn't mean it like that. I just get tired of you making such a big deal about it. Tell you what; I'll go to Bloaty's with you guys. I'll meet you after school, and we can walk there together, ok?"

Dib agreed subject and returned to his seat without commenting further on the. Zim could tell Amber wanted to establish a human connection with the Membrane boy, but he could also see that she struggled. He assumed that it was because Amber had taken an interest in him, but there was more to it than that. Their personalities clashed. Dib was determined to expose Zim and if Amber knew- other than the mild teasing- she didn't really care. Everything was emphasized by Dib's inability to allow Amber to approach concerns the way she thought appropriate. The frustration, Zim imagined, manifested in the form of sudden anger when Dib refused to leave her alone.

Zim had asked her once how she had come to live with the Membranes. She hadn't given him a direct answer but described how her mother wanted her to stay with them because of discipline issues. Amber had been lying. Zim would have been a fool if he had not acknowledged that, yet when he had attempted to pry for more information, she avoiding giving details and quickly changed the topic. It was evident that she wouldn't disclose information to him. Amber was secretive and she wasn't telling him everything, but Zim wasn't sure how much he didn't know. The only thing that was certain is that she had come through the portal he had opened. Maybe, her mother was acquainted with the Membrane family, but Zim was doubtful that she had transferred to their school because of problems at her old school. And he, Zim, was going to find out exactly what this _human_ child was hiding.

Amber sat across Zim at the lunch table and mashed buttons on Gaz's old Game Slave. She had been able to borrow it and was amazed with its internet capabilities. Gaz and Amber had been competing with each other since Amber had arrived at the Membrane house. Usually, Amber would use the older versions of games or consoles, but some of them were still compatible with their newer counterparts. The vampire icon jumped into the air and fired an electrical charge from its sword, but Gaz had dodged and countered. Before Amber could register what had happened, the words 'you lose' dragged across the screen.

"Ahh, she beat me, again," Amber whined turning off the Game Slave.

"The Membrane girl is skilled at maneuvering electronic devices. Not as skilled as me, of course, but you will not defeat her so easily."

"I just want to beat her once. She kicks my ass every single time."

"I'm surprised she talks to you. That _human_ rarely speaks to anyone, even those that share her gene line," Zim said. He held up an orange. Amber pointed to a bag of potato chips she had packed in her own lunch. The alien nodded and they switched the items.

"I just think it's because I leave her alone. We both kind of do our own things when we're not gaming. I mean, it didn't hurt things when I turned a corner too fast and Dib got a plate of food in his face. Gaz thought it was funny, but I felt so bad. You know, in a weird way, I think we're friends."

"I was friends with someone once," Zim mention nonchalantly. He opened the bag of chips and inspected one of them, probably checking to see if it was poisoned.

"Just eat it. I wouldn't have packed it if I wasn't planning on eating it myself," Amber groaned. She rubbed her temples annoyed that he always did this. Zim glared at her and popped it into his mouth. "Anyway, what happened?" Amber inquired as she leaned closer.

"His service was no longer required."

"Service? You are aware that being friends with someone isn't a job, right?"

"It's not?" Zim asked baffled. He drummed his fingers on the table and his eyes shifted around the room while he debated on whether he should request more details. His curiosity trumped his fear of being discovered. "Then what is it?"

Amber raised an eyebrow. It didn't take a genius to realize why Zim wasn't the most popular boy at school. He was always asking for definitions of terms he didn't understand. That wouldn't be a problem, except most of the things he needed help with were common knowledge to normal kids.

"Don't give me _that_ look! Just answer the question!" Zim ordered. He had become familiar with this particular expression, which was what Amber would use whenever she thought something was obvious. It was especially common when she didn't think a response should be necessary.

"You talk and do stuff together."

"Why?"

"Because, you want to," Amber giggled. Her conversations with Zim were always interesting, even if most of them gave her a headache. In most cases, she could honestly say that she had never had any others like them.

"Why would anyone want to do that?"

"You're so weird."

"I am not! I'm normal! NORMAL!"

"Since when?" Amber scoffed, "Not since I've known you."

"Name one thing!"

"You have green skin," she said blatantly. Zim's mouth opened and closed several consecutive times as he searched for a retort.

"Name another!"

"Let's see," Amber sighed as she began counting on her fingers. "No ears, no nose, you refer to everyone as: pig smellies, worm babies, and _humans_ (and those are only the most common ones), your backpack is made of metal, and there are diagrams in your locker that go into thorough detail about several ways you can conquer-"

"Enough! How do you even know about those anyway?"

"I pay attention. I don't act like I do, but I do," she took a sudden interest in examining her fingernails. The color drained in Zim's face. His body tensed and he gripped the edge of his seat until his knuckles almost turned white. Amber observed him from the corner of her eyes. He was actually afraid of her, maybe not exactly of what she could do, but what she knew. She looked at him and met his gaze, "I'm not going to tell anyone. Believe it or not, I don't really care. Besides, even if I did, they would just treat me the way they treat Dib."

"Why?" Zim asked, but he relaxed a little.

"Why do you talk to me? Beats me."

"That's not what I meant," Zim said, and for the first time, he sounded serious. Amber was shocked and didn't know how to the respond. Her voice was lost and she bit her bottom lip biding her time. Amber knew what he meant, even if she didn't want to admit that she did.

"Don't know," Collins sighed.

She got up and left the table. "_Maybe because we're not that different,_" she thought, but she would never say it aloud.


	4. Chapter 3

**That awkward moment when…**

"Dib!" Amber exclaimed as she ran to meet him after the final bell rang. She jumped on his back and hugged him from behind. Gaz grinned smugly as her brother shifted uncomfortably. He struggled adjusting to Amber's weight before he was able to shove her off.

"Would you knock it off?"

"Knock what off?" She asked innocently while taking his glasses and looked through the lenses. "Dude, you're blind!"

"That!" He snatched his glasses and put them back on. "What did Ms Bitters want to talk to you about after class anyway?"

"Mmmm, something about programming the fire alarm to go off during second period this morning."

"That was you?" His jaw dropped. Gaz eyes opened for a second and had a glint of interest in them. Almost immediately after, she returned to playing her Game Slave. They started walking; well, Amber was skipping.

"Not by myself."

"Zim helped you," Dib said detested. He wasn't fond of Amber spending time with Zim but that could be because he was worried about her, or not wanting Amber to give Zim access to the Membrane lab.

"Come on, it's better than listening to Ms Bitters trying to teach science. Before the Big Bang, there was nothing. Before evolution, there was nothing. When I was born, there was nothing," Amber mimicked in a high pitched voice mocking her instructor. "If I had to sit through another minute of that, I was going to be nothing."

"Don't you think you're being melodramatic?"

"Hell no! I thought my brain was going to start leaking out of my ears. I think my IQ actually managed to drop."

"That's hard to believe, especially since you're IQ is what? Two?"

"I know! I think I'm the first person to reach a negative value!" Amber exclaimed. Gaz shot her a warning glance and punched her arm. Collins rubbed the spot gingerly knowing that she was getting on Gaz's nerves. The Membrane girl did not tolerate Amber's ditzy façade, not since she had caught Amber reading her father's quantum physics books. It made concealing her intelligence a challenge when Gaz was around, but also established some respect between the girls.

They walked into Bloaty's and sat at a nearby table. A grotesque and massive man dressed in a pig costume came by and took their orders. She wrinkled her nose revolted at the gruesome condition of the fast food establishment. There was grease everywhere; on the tables, on the walls, and on the floor and the distinct scent of rotten fish wafted through the air. Amber looked at the floor which had a thin layer of mud and dirt. Didn't they ever clean this place? When their drinks came out, she ripped the paper around the straw while avoiding touching it as much as possible. Dib and Gaz had ordered a type of soda, which she recalled to be named 'Poop.' Amber had it before, but the drink was too sweet for her preference and she nearly vomited after tasting it.

"Ok. Time to get down to business," Dib mentioned as he unfolded several blueprints that he had in his backpack. He set them on the table and smoothed the creases. Amber sipped her water through a straw recognizing it as a scaled schematic of Zim's house.

"No wonder you offered to take me here. You just wanted to ramble about Zim's plan to take over the world," Gaz groaned.

"You set me up! Dib, this was supposed to be fun, not us listening to your paranormal hypotheses," Amber shouted as she realized what was happening.

"Come on, guys. Don't you want to know what Zim's hiding? We can break into his lab and-"

"No one cares, Dib."

"And I eat lunch with him on a regular basis. If he caught me breaking into his house, he'd kill me." Amber swallowed and a shudder went down her spine. "Or, worse…"

"Don't you care that Zim is trying to destroy the world?"

"No."

"ZIM IS TRYING TO DESTROY THE WORLD?"

"Do you pay attention to _anything_ I say?" Dib shrieked angrily. He slammed his fists on the table which wobbled unsteady under the sudden weight. The liquid in the glass sloshed over the side. Amber blinked a couple of times stunned by his sudden temper.

"Not really," Amber said. "I mean, I try, but then you start rambling and everything sounds the same. Then I see a spider web in the corner and—Hey! A spider web!"

"Focus Amber!" Dib snapped his fingers. When he had her concentration he brought out several photographs. "Look, I was in the park a few days ago and found this. I know it does something, but I don't know what."

"So?" Gaz asked.

Amber had more interest on this particular subject. Her eyes were wide as she snatched the photos from Dib's hand. She spread them in front of her on the table and examined each one. There was no mistaking it. The contraption that Dib had photographed was the same one she saw when she first arrived. Her eyes narrowed skeptically.

"Are you sure Zim built this?"  
"Positive."

"How?"

Dib reached over and shuffled through the photos. He pulled one out from the bottom of the stack, held it in front of her, and pointed to a small insignia. Amber recognized it as Irken but did not indicate that she did. Collins took the photo from him and studied it. Dib was smug; he had finally got her to remain silent for an extended amount of time. It was the first time he had got her to focus.

"Well, that is interesting," she said pensively while tapping her finger on the table. "And, you have no idea what it does?"

"Not a clue, but I know it's dangerous."

"And dismantled. Dib, I hate to tell you this, but unless you can figure out what it does, you don't have any reason to break into Zim's house."

"I can interrogate him! I can get out of him! I know I can!" Dib argued and eagerly leaned closer to Amber. She folded the photograph and stuffed it into her glove so it was hidden between the material and her wrist. The girl reached across the table and took Dib's hand. For the first time, she was serious and Dib knew it. Amber held his gaze, a long and steady gaze holding wisdom that should have been beyond her years.

"He won't tell you anything, Dib. Just let it go."

"You believe me?" There was a new sparkle in his eyes with a glimmer of hope and excitement. He grasped her hand in both of his and beamed. Amber's cheeks turned a faint pink and she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. She shifted between looking at Dib's face and her hand which he was firmly holding. His excitement made it more awkward. She had raised his aspirations and esteem. Now, Amber wasn't sure how she could dismiss what she had said without crushing him.

"T-That's not- W-What I— " Amber stuttered while withdrawing her hand. A sharp, metallic taste filled her mouth. She had been biting her lip and didn't notice until she had drawn blood. She inhaled deeply and searched for the words. "I meant hypothetically, Dib. Look, I don't think you're crazy, and I know that what you're saying is plausible but-"

"But what?"

"It's complicated…"

"What's complicated? You know how he is. How can you just ignore it?"

"Well," Amber averted his gaze. It would attract too much attention if she admitted knowing about Zim, especially when so many people here were close minded and ignorant. Not only would it insinuate that Amber was more informed than what she expressed, but it would also require an explanation on why she didn't act on it. She could tell him. Get the whole thing over with, but her situation sounded insane, even to her. Dib was more open-minded, but then there was a whole other issue of how he would react. She had that terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that if he found out; he would treat her the same way he treated Zim. Bottom line, she didn't trust him, not yet. Her shoulders sank defeated, "I sorry, Dib. I—I can't."

"Fine! If you want him to conquer Earth, have it your way. Come on, Gaz!"

Dib jumped out of the seat and Gaz followed grumbling under her breath. She glared at him but had already finished eating. Amber assumed she was being more cooperative so that Dib would pay for the bill like he had promised them earlier. Collins watched them leave as she collected the backpack Dr. Membrane had been gracious enough to buy her. She rushed outside calling after Dib but he had vanished by the time she had reached the door. Damn, that kid could move.

"Dib, come on! You know I don't know my way home!" She whined while searching the horizon of tall buildings and mindless people. He didn't answer, didn't respond, and didn't reappear beside her. "Shit."

She wandered the streets for an amount of time that felt like hours. Her feet hit the pavement in a repetitive pattern as she paced the streets. She had debated if climbing a nearby fence or building would be practical to obtain a view of the town, but that would be out of the ordinary, even for this place. After passing several of the same coffee stands, clothes shops, and grocery stores she realized she had been going in circles. When no one answered any of her questions and passed by her without a second glance. When twilight began to fall and the streets became empty, Amber had enough and screamed in frustration.

"I hate it here! I hate it here! I hate it here!" She tugged on her hair as if she was going to start pulling it out. "Why the hell does everything have look the same?"

Amber punched the glass window on a nearby bus station but regretted instantly as the glass cracked and a sharp pain shot through her wrist. She cried and clutched her arm. Reluctantly, she flexed her fingers and her hand throbbed. It was broken, or at least bruised.

"Well, this is just great," Amber hissed and her voice dripped with sarcasm. She kicked the glass with her foot which began to hurt immediately after. When stopped cursing under her breath, she looked up and yelled in surprise after seeing a small, green _dog_. More accurately, it was a robot dressed in a cheap, Halloween costume. Collins recognized it, but couldn't recall that name.

"HI!" It screeched. Amber winced, hearing the sudden high octave.

"Hi," she said flatly.

"Cupcake?" He offered while holding the sweet in front of her.

"Where did that come from?"

He shrugged. Amber dismissed the offer mentioning she wasn't hungry. Not knowing where the cupcake had been managed to curve her appetitive.

"So, I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"

Then green dog examined her. In an instant it was inches away from her face. He kept glancing at the area behind her where she had punched the glass. A cracked web spread over a significant amount of area. Amber felt beads of sweat form on her brow as she worried that he had seen her. A moment later, the green dog elevated itself so that it was eye level with her. She stepped back hesitant.

"Do you like waffles?"

"What?"

"I like waffles."

Amber blinked a couple times bewildered. Was this what people felt like when they spoke with her? No wonder they never bothered her, but she mentally reminded herself that was the point of acting the way she did.

"Umm… I guess…"

It squeaked, pleased.

"GIR! What are you doing?" Zim's shouted. His voice pierced the quiet night. Amber watched the dog, GIR, as Zim approached. "I told you to stand guard. How can we expect to accomplish anything if-"

He stopped midsentence and slowly turned just realizing that Amber had been standing there. She held up her hand and half waved, nervously.

"I mean… I wasn't acting out of the ordinary. Nothing abnormal here, nope, just a completely normal, human worm baby out for a walk," Zim rambled. Amber burst out laughing, partially from the awkward encounter and also from his ridiculous claim. "You _DARE_ laugh at _ME_? I will squash your pitiful-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Amber forced the words out with minimal amount of air in her lungs. Then, she snorted a couple times and that only made her laugh more. Her abdomen started to ache and she placed a hand over her mouth to try to stifle the sound. When her laughter finally subsided, she coughed a couple times as her body attempted to reclaim the lost oxygen.

It felt good to laugh, to actually laugh and momentarily forget where she was or what she was doing. Amber looked at him and gave a genuine smile, not one that was faked with airheaded foolishness, but one that was real. This was the first time she had given anyone that grin in this world. Dib hadn't even seen it.

"Thank you," she whispered under her breath, "I needed that."

"What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Is it that late? I guess I lost track of time. Dib ditched me earlier and I kind of got lost," Amber said as she started walking in a random direction.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Not a clue," she said over her shoulder. For a moment, they stood there. Everything was serene, no wind, no sounds, not even a passing car. GIR was chasing something out in the distance, but even his squeaks of delight seemed to be in a far off land. Zim shrugged.

"Well, sucks to be you."

"I'm used to it. Believe me, I get lost a lot."

"WAIT!" GIR cried while flinging his arms around her waist. "We were supposed to eat waffles."

"GIR, let that _human_ go!"

"GIR, was it?" Amber patted him awkwardly on the head, "We can get waffles some other time."

He squealed and ran around her in a circle. The motion was making Amber dizzy and without thinking she reached to the small dog with her injured hand. GIR made contact with it and she screamed as her reflexes forced her arm to withdraw. She clutched it and cursed under her breath.

"Are you ok?" GIR asked. "Was it that mean wall, again? I saw you hit it earlier. You must have been pretty mad to-"

"So, how about that cupcake?" Amber hastily interrupted.

"I have a cupcake. It has bacon in it!"

"Of course it does."

Zim glanced from Amber to the area she had punched. He examined her injured wrist as she cradled it in her other hand. The alien smirked.

"Amber, I could walk you back home."

She faced him and her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, suspicious. First, the random act of kindness was out of character. Second, it was the first time Zim had used her actual name. He always called her _human, _usually because if she felt insulted, it would result in him losing an arm. A knot formed in her stomach and her breathing quickened. Amber couldn't shake a feeling of dread that Zim had his own motives in accompanying her back to the Membranes, especially if his arch nemesis was there. His pompous sneer didn't help her reluctance, either. However, she couldn't think of anything that Zim would want from her. It wasn't like she knew much about this place, and she was very new to the city. Maybe, it was to get to Dib, but she always fought with him anyway. That method wouldn't be effective. Amber nodded curtly and followed him. GIR had been sent back 'home' shortly after she had agreed. Like he had promised, Zim accompanied her and they walked alone in silence for most of the way back until he initiated conversation.

"Where did you say you were from, again?"  
"_Shit. Where did that come from?_" Amber thought as she answered as promptly as she could fabricate answers, "Oh, around I guess. My family travels a lot. You lose track of where you've been when you move so much."

"And, how did you come here?"

"I told you, my mom wanted me to live with the Membranes for a while. Just until I get my grades back up, that is."

Zim suddenly spun around and grabbed Amber's shoulder. It was firm and forceful. His face was inches away from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her skin. Amber's heart stopped and she felt a mixture of fear and adrenaline being pumped through her arteries as she saw her reflection in those cold, indigo eyes.

"You're lying," he hissed and his grip tightened.

"Why would I lie about that?"

"How about you tell me?"

"That would be a pretty dumb thing to lie about," Amber's voice changed. Her demeanor completely changed as she tried to distract the purpose of the conversation. Zim had seen it before when she had used it on Dib or Ms. Bitters, but now she was using it to manipulate him (that was new). She continued rambling, "You know, unless you're from Mars. That would be cool. You'd have -like- green skin or something."

"Don't toy with me!"

"I'm not allowed to play with toys. Dib said I'd just break them."

"Answer the question?" His temper was rising. Amber could hear it in his voice. He glared at her and she only hoped she could stall him long enough for her to escape. She rotated her foot, positioning it so she could fight back and sprint as swiftly as possible. Zim had taken her far enough that she recognized part of the neighborhood.

"What question?"

"Where did you-"

He never finished the question. Amber had pressed his hand flat against her shoulder. Then, she stepped toward him while throwing her body weight forward so he would be off balance. In a swift motion she grabbed his thumb and forced it down behind his back. Zim's body followed and when she released him, he fell onto the ground. Amber dashed as fast as her legs would carry her. The alien had been stunned and that gave her the advantage to establish some distance between them.

She could hear his feet pounding on the ground behind her as she turned a sharp corner. Amber increased her pace when the Membrane house was in her sight, but Zim was faster than her and managed to get a hold on the back of her jacket. Her body jerked back as he pulled on the hood and she stumbled onto the pavement. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her down on the sidewalk as she struggled against his weight.

"That was a good little trick, but not good enough," Zim chimed thinking that he had won. "So tell me, _Amber_, what are you going to do now?"

She did what she knew would be most effective. Amber inhaled as much air as her lungs would allow and screamed, a blood curdling cry that pierced the deathly, silent night. Zim chuckled bemused and smug.

"Yes, scream. Scream like the-"

"Hey! Let her go!" Dib shouted. He shoved Zim and Amber was able to crawl behind the Membrane boy. "Leave her alone!"

The alien blinked a couple of times as he processed what had happened. When his eyes shifted from Amber to Dib and back to Amber, something must have clicked. She had screamed knowing Dib would have come.

"Clever girl, but mark my words. I will find out what you're hiding. You haven't heard the last of Zim!" He stormed away.

Dib approached her, and held his hand out. Hesitantly, she took it and he pulled her back on her feet. Amber allowed her momentum to carry and she flung her arms around his neck. She was shaking and every muscle fiber twitched now that the adrenaline was being filtered out of her circulatory system. He stood there, frozen for a moment, surprised. But, eventually, she felt his arms wrap around her, accepting the embrace.

"You're ok," he murmured in her ear.

She hid her face. Amber was far from ok. Zim knew something about her and she had no idea what. There was this nagging idea that he knew where she was from. If anyone found out about that, she was in trouble. However, he didn't know everything, otherwise he wouldn't have confronted her, but how he knew anything at all was beyond her understanding. She had been so careful. Sure, things slipped and clues were unraveled, but not that much. How much did he actually know? Yeah, he was smart, but was he actually able to discover she wasn't from their world?

A shuddered went down her spine. Zim had been angry. He could have killed her right there if he wanted, but he didn't. That felt worse, knowing that the alien probably had something more vindictive in mind when she saw him in class the next day. She pulled away from Dib and walked up the front step into the house.

"Hey, Amber," Dib said and the guilt was present in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you at Bloaty's the way I did."

"Nah, I'm fine. I just got a little lost, that's all." Amber smiled, but she wasn't fine. Figuratively speaking, she was playing with fire and was incredibly close to getting burned.


	5. Chapter 4

**Connections between Worlds and Minds**

"Amber, come on. Get out of bed." Dib whined as he shook her shoulder. Waking her wasn't his favorite chore, but his father always asked him to do it. Gaz had tried once and failed miserably. If one of the girls were provoked, that was bad. If both of them were infuriated at the same time (which had happened), the house could collapse. It was a 'small' consequence of Amber refusing to submit to anyone, including Gaz.

Collins groaned and persistently pulled the covers over her head. "I don't want to. I'm sick," the sentence was muffled under the extra blankets. She faked a cough. "See? I have a cough and everything."  
"No, you don't, you liar! Get up!" He gave her a final push, and she rolled off of the mattress.

"But, I don't wanna."

"School's good for you, now go get dressed," he glared stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest to demonstrate authority. Amber pouted as she tugged on the hem of the oversized shirt she wore as pajamas to bed. Dib began to tap his foot impatiently when she refused to move.

"If you think I'm changing in front of you, you're even dumber than you look."

Dib's face turned bright red. Amber didn't even know skin could become that shade.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"THEN WHY AREN'T YOU LEAVING?" Amber shouted.

"You think—I wouldn't—that's," the color in his face darkened as he blushed harder. "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you were moving."

"Apparently," she stood several inches shorter than Dib now that she wasn't wearing her boots. "Go down stairs. I'll be there in a minute."

"Amber," he glanced –as if he were trying to make peace- at her wrist. It was now bandaged and wrapped in heavy gauze. She had been wrong about breaking it. Professor Membrane had called in a favor last night and had it examined, not that she trusted the Doctor who had diagnosed her anyway. "I know Zim did that to-"

She held up her hand cutting off the statement.

"Zim didn't do anything to me." Amber showed Dib her injured hand. "I did this to myself. I got reckless, tripped, and fell."

"You don't have to make excuses."

"I'm not. Zim never touched me," she thought about what she had just said and rephrased it, "I mean, he scared me a little, but he didn't hurt me."

Dib was skeptical, but he left the room without arguing more. When she was alone, she stripped and dressed herself in the usual attire. Going to school didn't thrill her, but Dib was right. Amber grimaced while admitting that she couldn't allow a small incident to determine the rest of her life. She walked down stairs, ate breakfast, and went with Dib and Gaz to school. When they were on school grounds and Amber saw Zim, she moved closer to Dib. The alien watched her knowing what she was doing. If Amber was around Dib, he wouldn't be able to confront her.

The day dragged on and she was two hours into her class. Ms Bitters droned on about something, but Amber wasn't really paying attention. She was too busy avoiding eye contact with Zim, who would continually glare at her. Someone called her name, but she wasn't sure who. Until, they called it again and again and she realized it was Ms Bitters.

"Yeah?" Amber asked as her teacher hovered over her seat.

"I asked for a detailed explanation of the Evolutionary theory."

"On which aspect?" Amber asked. Her instructor didn't answer and only continued to examine her with eyes hidden behind thick spectacles. Amber sighed, "Do you want the role Darwin played in the discovery; the effect Mendelian genetics has on passing favorable traits to their offspring; or trends seen in animals that is thought to suggest how different species evolved from the last universal common ancestor?"

"Yes, very good." Ms Bitters sounded more confused than anything, maybe a little shocked. Either way, it was more of a dismissal than a compliment. She went back to her desk at the front of the room in a fluid, ghostly manner.

She was suddenly aware of several eyes on her when realizing the mistake. Ms Bitters had caught her off guard and Amber revealed more about herself than she wanted. There was a diverse mix of emotions in the class. Some students didn't care, others were intimidated, and a rare and select few, such as Dib in the corner, were baffled as they tried to justify her sudden stroke of genius. Zim, who was the only one still deciphering the information and unsure how to react, was completely unique as his facial expressions continued to change.

"Where did that come from?" he asked.

"Umm… internet?" Amber flushed as she shrunk into her seat. Suspicious, Zim glared and she knew she had only escalated the events of last night. Her stomach felt like it had been twisted in a knot, several times. Their teacher had changed the subject and was now lecturing on the American Revolution. Most of the information was wrong and Amber wanted to beat her head against her desk, a desire that resulted from a combination of her own stupidity and those around her. After a couple more hours of mind numbing torture, the lunch bell rang. Ms Bitters released the students ending with, "and that's how everyone died," on the topic of the Revolutionary war. Amber collected her things and left, colliding with another student on her way out.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," the student said while tucking her brunette air behind her ear and collecting various notebooks that had been scattered across the floor.

"Don't worry about it." Amber responded. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Dib who asked if she would be alright walking to lunch on her own. He had been this way all day, and Amber suspected it was that he understood how much the previous evening had affected her. When she looked and saw Zim following the other students, she nodded telling him she would be fine on her own.

Dib left her, and she continued to clean her mess off of the floor. The student she had run into had introduced herself as Madeline, or Maddie for short. She was quirky, to say the least, and her attire matched her personality as she wore a bright, blue shirt with a pig on it and a lavender and pink striped skirt with the bottom accented in gold. However, everything appeared to be toned down by her gray, sweatshirt and matching leggings. Amber stared as they stood up feeling blinded by the array of colors.

"Hey! I know you," recognition flashed in Madeline's eyes, "You're that girl dating, Zim!"

"No I'm not! Where the hell would you get a stupid idea like that?"

"Oh, I get it," she exclaimed excited, "You're staying with Dib Membrane, so it's like forbidden love?"

Amber silently wondered if this girl hit her head when she was young. Then again, Amber thought that of most people from this world.

"No, it's not like any kind of love," Collins struggled to keep her voice calm and steady. "It's people -like you- talking about stuff when they have no idea what's going on."

"Is it because he has green skin?"

"Yeah, something like _that_," she didn't clarify that she preferred to date within her own species.

"You know, you shouldn't be so shallow." Madeline lectured as they started walking toward the lunchroom. "It's not his fault. He has a skin condition, you know?"

They entered the cafeteria and Amber crossed the room sitting next to Dib and Gaz. Maddie followed her and rambled something about not judging books by their cover. Dib was baffled and Amber shrugged at him indicating she had no idea why the hyperactive child had decided to befriend her. After half the lunch period dragged by, Amber was ready to bash her head against a wall.

"Maddie, was it?"

"That's my name."

"See that boy over there," Amber pointed to Keef who was eating lunch by himself. "He likes people. Go bug him."

"Oh, I know him. He's so nice. I don't understand why he doesn't have any friends. I mean, sure, he kind of follows them around and doesn't have a life of his own, but that's-"

"Amber, where are you going?" Dib asked as she stood up.

"I'm going to take my chances with Zim."

"I don't like Zim very much. He's mean and annoying and never stops talking," Madeline said. Amber gave her a quizzical look.

"Are you sure?" There was concern in Dib's voice.

"Yep, I can handle crazy. I can't handle someone who has gone nuclear because she had 120 pixie sticks."

"It wasn't 120," Maddie said indignant. She adjusted her bright, pink glasses. "It was 123."

Amber shook her head (feeling the beginning of a migraine) and trudged to the table Zim sat at. Madeline complained about her leaving, but didn't follow. The alien raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever vindictive plan you have, it can't be worse than that," Amber elaborated while pointing from the direction where she had just left.

"Who said anything about revenge?"

She shuddered; something about the way he said it made her uneasy. His voice was smooth and calculating. He tapped the table with his index finger and Amber took it as an invitation to sit down.

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Zim shrugged. "You interest me."

"Why?"

"You're a smart girl, a lot smarter than the other human pig-smellies," he leaned closer to her. She could see her reflection mirroring her expression of defiance mirror in the contact lenses. His voice was barely audible as he whispered to her, "Figure it out."

"You better be careful, _Zim_. I might take that as a challenge."

There was a new ring in her voice. She had the same determination and stubbornness that Dib expressed when he wanted something. Amber wasn't going to back down and she would either uncover the truth, or die trying. But, there was another aspect underlying the tone that was added to the equation. She had an edge that made her seem confident, almost cocky; the way Zim addressed people when he thought besting them. It was apparent that the response annoyed him, but he admired it at the same time. Few would consider rivaling him, but she did it without hesitation.

"A question for a question then," he said hushed. The bell had rung and students were already starting to leave. "I'm interested in you because I _know_ you're different. Everything I have learned, you contradict. So, how about you tell me what you are, where you came from, and your intentions with the filthy meat puppets."

"Human."

"And the others?"

"You bargained for one question, not three." Amber chimed as she left, "And I'm not really interested in answering the rest of them."

Zim fumed and she simpered. He had told her more than he realized. From the conversation, she could guess that it was a dominance concern. Zim didn't want her competing with his territory or endangering his mission. She would have to analyze with caution. Amber wasn't about to give him any more information than she had already, and she hoped that it was his arrogance leading him to assume she was more than what she claimed. Without any indication of where his inquiries and suspicions had originated from, she couldn't completely assess the situation.

"Hey, Dib," Amber poked her head through the door of his room. "You're dad –robot- thing wants to know what you want for dinner."

"Whatever is fine."

"Alright," she entered the room and observed Dib type a series of calculations on his computer, "what are you working on?"

"Hmm, oh, just number crunching mostly. They found these weird electromagnetic waves in central park, where I found that thing Zim built. I thought there would be a connection, so I'm analyzing one of the databases on the computer program."

"Huh?" She picked up one of his haunted gummy bears and examined it. "That's actually kind of cool." Collins looked around and added more of a side observation, "You know, I think this is the first time I've seen your room."

"Most people don't like it. I'm not exactly the most popular kid in school."

"Despite your good intentions, you like a lot of stuff that's kind of out there. That and, you can kind of be a jerk sometimes."

"I'm not a jerk!" Dib shouted. After a glare from Amber he muttered under his breath that there were times he was only a little eccentric. He leaned back in his chair and yawned. "You know, I think this is the first real conversation we've had. How come you don't act this way all the time?"

"Act like what?"

"Like you're a real person."

Amber shrugged not knowing how to respond. It was a good question and she had never given it much thought. She always did it, ever since she was a little kid. Collins had been fortunate to inherit the most intelligence between her and her three brothers. There was always pressure for her to get better grades and be involved. Her parents had always pushed her to be ahead of everyone else and other children her age had been intimidated, which made making friends difficult.

"I don't really get along with people."

"Must be why you spend so much time with Zim."

"Not this, again," Amber groaned, but she knew in her heart that it was partially true. "Why do you even care anyway?"

"Because, I worry about you. What does he have on you anyway?"

She cocked her head to the side confused.

"I knew you guys were whispering about something," Dib elaborated. "But, I don't know what."

"He thinks I'm keeping something from him. The guy is crazy."

"You know if you were in some kind of trouble you could tell me, right?"

Amber met his gaze. She wanted to tell him so badly. It had been harder going through consecutive worlds now that she didn't have her best friend, Cynthia, to relate to. In a way, she just wanted somebody to talk about it with. Dib was offering, but she doubted he expected anything to the magnitude of her not being from their world.

"It's-"

"Complicated, that's your excuse for everything." He changed the topic, "You know, Madeline was showing me a comic earlier. The main character kind of looks like you –acts like you, too—even has the same first name."

"Oh? What's it about"

"Some girl that could jump between worlds, I wasn't really listening. The whole idea was pretty insane."

"Yep, pretty insane," Amber laughed at the ironic coincidence. Either way, the subject was making her squirm.

"I mean, some random person, able to travel in between. It would be cool; don't get me wrong, but I doubt it would be innocent. Obviously, that amount of power would go to anyone's head."

"Can we stop talking about this?"

"Why? Hit a sore spot?" he joked.

"No, I just don't care," Amber said harshly. It masked the lie very well.

"_Geesh, what a brat!_"

"I am not!" She snapped. Dib blinked a couple times and raised his eyebrow as if he was thinking she was mentally unstable.

"Not what?"

"Hungry," Amber finished lamely. "I'm not hungry."

It wasn't a challenge to deduce what she had done. It had become almost second nature because the telepathic ability had been a common development on her journey. When she had fallen into Harry Potter's world and she was attending Hogwarts she had been able to strengthen it beyond her expectations, except it had been significantly easier there. Still, the telepathy had become increasingly more prominent with each world she had visited, even if in specific worlds it was more manageable.

This was the first time she had felt anything in this place. Part of her wondered if it had something to do with affinity a world had with the ability, or it could have been something more complex. Amber knew it was consistent because she wasn't the only one affected either. Cynthia, herself, had become more accustomed to feeling and manipulating energies around her (when they were traveling together). What caused it; however, Amber didn't have a clue.

"So, this thing you're working on," she pointed to the computer screen. "What is it supposed to tell you?"

"I don't know exactly," Dib explained, "It's almost like there are higher concentrations of energies. I've seen it once before, when Zim tried to banish me and most of my class to a room with a moose."

"A room with a moose?" Amber asked unsure if he was being serious. "What's so scary about a room with a moose?"

"It had walnuts."

"You're kidding, right?" She waited for a response, but he only sat and twiddled his thumbs. Collins cleared her throat, "so what about these energies?"

"I think they're formed when tears in space occurs. Judging from previous experience, it would allow things to travel through them, too."

That caught Amber's attention. "And if Zim was hypothetically an alien, he would have access to the technology to do this?"

"HE IS AN ALIEN!" Realizing that he had lost his temper, Dib took a deep breath to calm down. "Yes and probably have record of the experiments, but I can't access it from this computer." He gestured to one that had been connected to what he had taken photographs of.  
"Why?"

"Hardware is fried. You'd have to go to the original source."

"Which would be?"

"In his lab."

Amber scowled knowing that it _had_ to be there. It didn't raise her spirits, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. With dread she realized what she was about to do, her worst fear. Amber was about to break into Zim's base even though he was already weary of her. There was no other way.

Gaz came upstairs and started pestering Dib about her Game Slave two. Neither of them had seen it, but when she threatened to destroy both of them, Dib offered his assistance to look for it and fled the room. Amber informed her that she would gladly help, but she had to take care of something first and remained ambiguous on the details. Gaz protested by glaring at her, but Amber (who had seen worse) mentioned if Gaz persisted on threatening her, she would intentionally hide the game provided that she was able to find it. The conversation ended very quickly after that, and Gaz left grumbling in disgust.

When they were gone, she searched through Dib's room. Amber needed a map that would tell her where Zim lived, and how to get in. If she was as familiar with Dib as she thought she was, he would have a blue print for it. After going through countless drawers and computer files, she had managed to locate it underneath his socks. She unfolded them and memorized the information as quickly and effectively as she could. Using a pen and paper from his desk she was able to make a trace of where she would be going.

There were footsteps on the stairs. They were getting closer. Amber refolded the schematics as fast as she could and replaced them in the drawer trying to leave everything the way she had found it. She stuffed her copies into her boot so she could access them later. Her hand had barely come out when Dib appeared in the doorway.

"What are you still doing in here?"  
"Oh, just looking around," Amber lied (well, half lied). "I did mean what I said earlier. You do have some pretty cool stuff."  
"Oh, thanks," he beamed.

She patted him on the back of his shoulder as she passed by and left the room. A nervous tension passed over her, not from Dib, but knowing where she was going. If Zim actually was studying spatial travel between worlds, it would benefit her. She may be able to devise a way to open them on her own, or control where the exit would be. What if she could go home? Even though trespassing on the alien's domain made her uneasy, she knew it had to be done if she wanted to progress.

Zim had the technology. Zim had the knowledge. Now, all Amber had to do, was steal it. Unfortunately, that was going to be a lot harder than she expected. Irken's weren't keen on allowing people to walk away were their secrets. She would have to be careful. Amber would break into his house that night; otherwise, she was afraid she would lose the little courage she had. The sooner this was over with, the better. She only prayed she didn't get caught.


	6. Chapter 5

**Out of the Frying pan and into… Oh crap**

Amber walked to the driveway and approached the house. It was horribly drab compared to everything else around it. The walls were a simple shade of aqua with red shutters and roof. It was decorated extensively with plastic gnomes and an innocent sign that read 'I love Earth' on the front lawn. It seemed small to fit an entire laboratory, but of all the strange things she had encountered here, it wasn't that bizarre. The gnomes turned toward her, attracted by the movement. It was every stalkers dream.

She bent down and felt the inside of her boot ensuring that the throwing knife she had brought was still there. There was a reassurance feeling the smooth, metal of the blade. The rest of the pack was left at the Membrane household. Amber preferred to only bring one rather than draw attention with multiple weapons. She was cautious, not stupid.

When she rang the doorbell, she ducked around a nearby corner. Two figures appeared when the door swung ajar and she could hear the welcome intended for their _son_ directed to an absent person. She assumed that meant Zim wasn't home. It was then that Amber began fumbling with the latch of the window and prying it open. After a few moments, it clicked and swung open and she crept inside. It appeared normal enough with a pink couch in front of a television, but her instincts screamed that this place was far from normal. Amber shut the window softly being careful not to make any sound.

She explored finding nothing on the ground floor or the one above. There was no evidence behind any of the pictures or under rugs. Amber heard movement and hid behind a corner as a robot arose from the trashcan in the kitchen. That was _unusual_. GIR didn't notice Amber as it passed her. She slid by undetected.

Collins wasn't sure what to make of her discovery. She opened the lid expecting it to be filled with various unwanted articles, but it was deeper than she expected and there was a floor on the bottom. She crawled inside trying not the think of the amount of bacteria that could be residing in it. When her feet hit the bottom it began to descend into a laboratory complete with mechanisms and machines she could only imagine. There were thousands of computers, probes, and batteries. The elevator reached the final level and she stepped out with terror and amazement.

"So, cool," she whispered under her breath as she examined the vast array of pipes and tubes above her. It was incredible, more than incredible. The amount of technology in this place was limitless. Amber paced, tempted to experiment with everything she didn't understand but knowing that if she did, there would be a price. She didn't know when Zim would be back of if there were security monitors that he used to be sure that it was impenetrable.

The main computer was in the back of the lab, and she was able to maneuver her way to it. It flickered to life as she pressed on of the keys and several diagrams were pulled on the screen. She tapped a few. It took a while to get used to it, but the keyboard was similar enough to an Earth computer that she was able to transition without too much trouble. Before long, Amber was a pro at guiding herself through the programs. When she accidentally struck one of the buttons it portrayed a three dimensional image in front of her in grid form.

Shuffling through them, she disregarded most of the information. One was a way to conquer Earth with a giant hamster, another was get rid of Dib, get rid of Dib, get rid of Dib, test hypnotic powers of a giant zit, get rid of Dib, it was fairly redundant. He spent more time trying to eliminate his nemesis than taking over (or, trying to take over) the world. She rolled her eyes. No wonder she was never interested in this show. Amber flipped through a couple more files, most of them containing the same content and then something about cross-world travel and then more hostile takeover.

"_Wait,_" she thought rapidly going back and pulling the file she had skimmed over moments before.

Cross-world travel, from what she understood, was a way Zim would be able to bring the Irken Empire to Earth. Apparently, it hadn't worked because the machine collapsed before any of the army could come through. She kept reading while scrolling down the page. The file went into great detail about how the invention functioned and discussed its ability to alter a frequency in a concentrated area allowed the matter to split which would tear apart an area in space. Zim had referred to this as an in between, something that wasn't a part of their world but acted as a channel to allow travel through.

Amber stopped, thinking she had heard something. She strained her ears while trying to identify the sound. When nothing came, she returned to her research. The physics and math were slightly beyond Amber's mental range of comprehension, but she was able to grasp the general idea. He was trying to create a shortcut from Irk to Earth and the machine he used was—

Her hands froze and hovered over where she had been typing. She held her breath. It was the same invention from Dib's photos, from her first night here. It couldn't have been a coincidence. The evidence supporting it was overwhelming. Everything fit together too perfectly. Even the date of the first trial had been the same.

He had claimed it had malfunctioned, but what if it had done exactly what Zim wanted it to do? It created a tear, but one that wasn't long enough to extend to his home planet. Instead of an Irken armada, Amber had fallen through, instead. Her stomach churned as she vaguely remembered the shadowy figure from her first night here. If Zim had been working on this, it very well could have been him.

There was a loud _clang_ that echoed in the basement. Amber whipped around and froze. Her mind shouted at her feet to move. Reluctantly, her body listened, but it didn't want to. She wiped the screen as efficiently as she could in the shortest amount of allotted time and dove behind a nearby bench keeping as still as possible. It reminded her on the chairs patients would sit on if they were visiting the doctor (or be dissected on). At least it was wide enough to hide her.

The padding of feet came close and she pressed her back against the side of her hiding spot wanted desperately to phase into it. Her heart pounded in her ears, _lub dub, lub dub_, and quickened. He passed her but Amber didn't dare exhale fearing that he would hear. She could hear the tapping of keys and the computer's compliance with accessing information. Sweat formed on her brow, cool to the touch. Maybe, if she could sneak by while he was busy. A red light began flashing and an alarm rang through the lab indicating intrusion.

"_Never mind, better make a run for-"_

"Nice try, _Dib!_" Zim cackled. A crash reverberated through the room.

"_Dib? Wait, Dib is here?"_ Amber thought as she halted and felt a bit relieved, "_That idiot. He's the one who set off the alarm?_"

"You'll never get away with this, Zim!"  
"Dib, Dib, Dib, Dib, Dib," he chanted condescendingly. "I already have. In a few days, my invention will be complete and the entire Irken Empire will be here!"

"So why weren't they here three weeks ago?"

"A minor setback."

"Really?" Dib asked smug. "Then, how do you know it will work _this_ time?"

"SILENCE!" Zim shouted. It sounded like he was walking away from her, but she wasn't sure. He calmed down and spoke with a voice that was fitting for a mad scientist, "I know because the invention already works. It can open a portal, if you will, between two different places. All I have to do is recalibrate it and then this _filthy_ _planet_ will be MINE!"

"Mark my words, Zim. I will stop you!"

"And who will believe you, _Dib_? That little, Earth girl who has been living with you for all this time?"

"You leave Amber out of this!"

"Please, that _child_ is more intelligent than you can imagine. She doesn't believe you, because she chooses not to believe you, or she just ignores it."

"You're lying!" Dib said defensive. It reminded Amber of an older sibling.

"Am I, Dib? When have you ever seen a student give an answer to a question that rendered the she-beast helpless?"

Curiosity was getting the better of Amber and she peered around the edge of her hiding spot. Zim wasn't currently wearing his human disguise and she could see his antenna sticking up as he confronted his nemesis. He stood in front of Did, who was bound in a chair.

"Face it, Dib," he hesitated.

Amber gulped and retreated back behind the bench when she saw her reflection staring back at her. Her hands clapped over her mouth and covered it to prevent the instinctive shriek from escaping her lips. She really hoped he was pausing for dramatic effect and hadn't seen what she had.

"The girl's cleverer than you realize," Zim sounded almost passive as if it was a side thought. "Either way, I really don't have the time to deal with you now. GIR, escort Dib outside! I have a personal matter to attend to."

She heard the shuttle activate and assumed it was bringing Dib to the central floor. In the deepest part of her brain, Amber subconsciously wondered what the personal matter would be, but there wasn't time to think of that right now. Peeking around the corner, she double checked to see if the coast was clear. There was no one there, not even Zim. Had he gone with Dib to the main floor? No, that wouldn't have made sense. He had sent GIR with the Membrane boy.

There was a soft tapping sound behind her like metal on metal. She turned, but nothing was there. Her muscles twitched in anticipation goading her to get out of her current location as soon as possible. Amber took a step back, and then another, and then felt something behind her., something that hadn't been there before. Her body went numb as she saw what she thought resembled a very large, mechanical spider leg. She followed the direction of the metal and looked up directly into Zim's dark, red eyes. The color drained from her face.

"Hi Zim." She fled in the direction of the elevator. "Bye Zim!"

Amber moved as fast as she could, but was no match for the PAK's extension. One of the legs swooshed down and swept under her feet. She tripped and slid on the floor. Amber scrambled to her feet and suddenly changed direction as Zim positioned himself in front of her. She clenched her teeth realizing the advantage he had. Not only was Zim in his own field of expertise, but he had that stupid PAK making it easier to maneuver in front of her.

A leg grabbed her by the hood of her jacket and pulled her into the air. She threw her arms above her head allowing her body to slide out of the sleeves. Amber hit the ground hard, feeling the shock vibrating in her pelvis. She ignored it as she kept running. Collins clambered one of the pipes that lined the walls of his base and used it as a balance beam as she climbed higher. Zim struck it and she caught as second as she lost her balance and fell. Amber pulled herself onto it never being more grateful to have the combination of gymnastics and karate training she did. She pulled out the throwing knife that was inside her boot intending to use it if there was a need.

"Get down here you little runt!"  
"Runt," Amber snorted, "you're like half my height."

"Only when you're standing on a desk!"

He used one of the legs to strike the beam she was perched on. Amber attempted to leap to another, but her momentum wasn't enough to make the jump and she fell. She collided with a pipe on her way down and that one collapsed when the one she had just fallen from crashed on top of it.

Amber dropped the knife and clenched her fist. She was back on the floor with the rubble on top of her legs. A throbbing sensation traveled through her ankle as the pressure threatened to crush it. Helplessly, she attempted to lift the debris, but it was too heavy and she wasn't strong enough. In a last attempt to gain some protection, Amber reached for the knife. The tips of her fingers touched it as she tried to move it closer, but it was barely out of range. Zim kicked it further away as the mechanical arms retreated into his PAK.

"Now what are you doing here?" He said and his eyes flashed with calm rage. "Did you come here with _him_?"

"What's it to you?" Amber said defiantly, but the sentence was shaky and laced with fear.

"No, he wouldn't have left you, not as willingly. He doesn't know, does he?"

She glowered at him. A warm, sticky fluid trailed from her nose to the base of her mouth. There was a salty, iron taste and a couple of crimson drops splattered on the floor. Amber was not in a good position. The alien knew and was taking advantage of it. Zim traced her hairline with his hand, following it down the cheek, and under her chin. He tilted her head and forced her to make eye contact. There was a pompous gleam and his arrogance only encouraged her to resist more as she took the liberty to bite him.

"Insolent _human_," Zim hissed while snatching his hand away from her. He regained his composure, "Tell me; what are you doing here? Did you come to rescue Dib?"

She didn't answer.

"Then," Zim slyly grinned, "perhaps I will get him. He would find this interesting."

"No!" Amber exclaimed, dropping her guard. She tried to move forward to stop the alien, but her leg remained trapped. She cringed at the pain.

"No?" The reaction had confirmed his suspicions, "then Dib doesn't know, and you don't want him to. Now, why would that be?"

"I can't remember. I must be disoriented from all of the pain I'm in."

It was enough to get some cooperation from him, but his expression told Amber he wasn't overly fond with her lack of compliance. Using his PAK, he was able to lift the rubble. The plan wasn't as effective as Amber would have preferred as Zim had also used a separate leg to drag her out and slide her across the room. A clear, glass tube descended and surrounded her when she came to a stop.

"Because this is so much better," Amber sarcastically said as she placed her hands on the chamber walls and pressed against the glass. She rammed into it a couple times, but it refused to crack, let alone break.

"Aren't you a little snide to be a prisoner?"  
"Aren't you a little short to be an Irken?"

"Silence!" Zim shouted. He was fuming now, frustrated that she refused to give him the information he wanted. "I had hoped that you would be more amiable in private. Perhaps I was wrong, but maybe after a few experiments, you'll be more cooperative. Computer, analyze subject."

"E-experiments," that got Amber's attention. A flash of light encompassed her and she shielded her eyes until it subsided. "What do you mean experiments?"

"Oh, just your standard mutations, you probably won't feel a thing."

"Error," an artificial voice said. It must have been the main computer.

"Error?" Zim repeated dumbly, "what do you mean error?"

"DNA can't be mutated." A few diagrams appeared. "Mutations already present in DNA."

"Mutations? Mutations from what?" He examined her from the corner of his eye. At least, she thought that was what he was doing. It was kind of hard to tell when he didn't have irises or pupils.

"Don't look at me," Amber shrugged. "I've got nothing."

"Subject appears to have been in contact with the 'in between.'"

"I can explain that." Actually, she really couldn't.

"Consistent exposure over long periods of time has led to mutations," the computer reiterated. "The most common cause would be traveling in this 'in between' space in worlds parallel to each other."

"Hey, shut up! Nobody asked you!" Amber shouted at the disembodied voice. She kicked her chamber and grumbled under her breath, "Stupid computer."

"Care to explain _that_?" Zim asked referring to the information his computer had just given him.

"Not really," she mumbled, but after a sharp glare from Zim, she reconsidered and sighed defeated. "Fine, I'll tell you, but I have conditions."

"Which are?"

"You can't tell anyone. I keep your secret, you keep mine. Also, you let me go and _actually_ let me go. Meaning: no experiments or mutations, no dissections or amputations, and no DNA samples. I walk out unharmed."

Zim contemplated the offer. He didn't speak and pensively scratched his chin with his index finger. It was a difficult bargain, not because of the requests, but because he wasn't sure how trustworthy Amber was. It was the first time he had taken her seriously and viewed her as a possible threat. Granted that he always knew she was smart, but he never expected her to have the audacity coupled with the ability to infiltrate his lab and wriggle her way out even when she had been captured.

Reluctantly, he gritted his teeth and hit a button to disengage the chamber that held her. The walls around Amber faded away and she was released from her cage. He approached her and offered his hand.

"Deal," Zim scowled, though there was a faint hint of admiration hidden beneath the disdain. Amber shook and smiled, beat up and bruised.

They had gone upstairs for the conversation. GIR was playing on the rug with a rubber piggy. Amber didn't really understand it, but Zim insisted it kept him quiet. She had been allowed to put her jacket back on, but his questions began long before she was prepared. The first part of the interrogation had included Amber confirming information that was, in fact, true when she had told Zim the first time. That mainly consisted of her name and that she was human. He asked what her intentions were for the human race and she merely stated that as long as the world wasn't destroyed or conquered before she left, Amber was fairly indifferent. When Zim requested her to elaborate, she informed him that she always eventually left each world she had visited. It was a constant that had always happened.

"How did you even get here anyway?"

"I'm not really sure," Amber said swinging her legs back and forth over the edge of the couch. "I guess I messed with something I wasn't supposed to touch, there was an accident, and I when I woke up, well, let's just say it was kind of a shock."

"Interesting, but how did you come here?" he prodded the side of her face as if checking to be sure she was real. Amber slapped his hand away.

"My hypothesis is that I was already in the matter you refer to as the 'in between.' When you opened the portal, I must have fallen through by mistake. The energy probably wasn't enough to cut completely."  
"But you resemble the Earth monkeys so much," he yanked on one of her ears.

"Hey! Those are attached to me!" Amber snapped. She pushed Zim away. "And, that's not as surprising as you think. This world is very similar to mine, so –when you think about it- it makes sense that my body's natural form is identical to the humans here."

"If I could isolate the DNA," he tugged on her hair, particularly the ones determined to loop above her head. "It may be-"

"We had a deal. No experiments!"

"Not even a couple?"

"Hell no. I've seen the way you get in class. You'd get excited and I'd end up with four heads."

"Fine," Zim crossed his arms and sulked. "How about on Dib?"

"I don't think I have the authority on that one."

GIR squealed as he ran around in circles with his toy.

"How'd you even know I was an alien?"

"You have green skin," Amber glanced in his direction, "It's hard to miss."

"The other _humans_ haven't noticed."

"Yeah, they're morons," she stretched and sprawled into couch while yawning. "In case you're wondering, Dib has a bunch of maps in his room. That's how I knew where to find this place and the layout."

"He does?"

"It's Dib," Amber stated. She watched GIR play. He tripped and hit his head against the coffee table. "What's wrong with your robot?"

"Nothing, it's advanced."  
"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

GIR spun in circles singing a song about moose eating waffles. Its attention was as significant as one that belonged to a young child. The robot waddled away, collected the remote for the television, turned it on, and searched through various channels.

"I like the show with the monkey. It's my favorite show," GIR said. He stopped flipping through channels when a commercial for ibuprofen appeared. "Oh, my other favorite show!"

"How?"

Zim shrugged. "How did you come to live with the Membranes?" he inquired and Amber couldn't help but wonder if it was to avoid the subject.

"School main frame is easy to hack. Professor Membrane's lab was a little harder." She scoffed, "but not by much."

"You're good with computers."

"I guess but not nearly familiar with all the stuff you have in your lab." Amber sat up feeling more apprehensive, "Can I go now? I have homework, and if I stay any later, it's going to be a lot harder to explain things to Dib."

"Yes, yes, whatever. But, you should know," Zim added as she was leaving, "I suspect we could be of some use to each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I want the Irken armada here, but in order to do that, I need to tear a hole in this world. You're trying to get to this 'in between' space. Our goals are align. I get what I want and you get what you want."

"But, why would you want help from me? I'm human, aren't I?"

"Are you? From what I understand, you're just as much of an alien here as I am," Zim grinned revealing a set of sharp, white teeth. "After all, what do you care what happens to a planet that isn't even yours?"

"I'll think about it."

The door latched behind her as she left. His proposition was unbearably tempting, but also had many consequences. She would betray an entire civilization. Being indifferent was one thing; being active in the planet's destruction, that was entirely different. But, what she wanted was in her reach, going home and seeing her family, again. The offer was incredible and Amber wrestled with her desires and morals the entire journey back to the Membrane house.

When she entered the Membrane house she wanted to sneak by undetected as she limped up the stairs toward her room. She really didn't want to explain her bloody nose, bruises, or scratched face. Luck was not on her side.

"Where are you going?" Gaz asked looking up from her television program. Dib was next to her, but more interested in a magazine discussing Big Foot.

Amber pulled her hood over her head in an attempt to hide her face, "My room. I have a lot of homework tonight."

"Really?" her brown-hazel eyes flashed. "You're certainly in a hurry."

"I have a big math assignment due tomorrow."

"Amber," Gaz said with a hint of warning as she was becoming annoyed with the lies rather than actual interest in the answer. "Take off the hood."

Amber flinched but reluctantly obeyed.

"What did you do?" Dib asked. Before she knew it, he was there beside her. He grabbed her wrist and forced her down the stairs in front of him. She avoided looking at him but he cradled her face in his hands and turned her head. She resisted, but he was stronger than he looked.

"I'm fine."

"Amber, you're covered in blood," Dib wiped away so of the dry, crusted material that clung to her upper lip.

"It's just a scratch."

"Just a scratch? It looks like you got in a fight with Gaz."

"Don't be stupid, Dib," Gaz said. "If we got in a fight, there'd be nothing left."

"Yeah, of you," Amber snapped.

"Enough," Dib shouted trying to keep peace between the girls. "What happened?"

"I ran into a door."

Gaz snickered but Amber tolerated it hoping she accepted the excuse. Dib was less convinced, but he led her upstairs to the bathroom and helped her clean herself. She could see why he didn't by it when she saw her reflection. When he washed away the blood, she appeared somewhat presentable. One of her cheeks was still swollen but it didn't look as bad as what it had originally.

"You ran into a door?"

"Yeah, I'm such a klutz," she laughed nervously.

"And that's what you're sticking with?"

Damn, why'd he have to be so perceptive? Dib was more intelligent than other people here and Amber could have easily avoided this if she had chosen to live with someone else. He meant well, she knew he did, but it made things so much more difficult. She nodded. The membrane boy placed a damp cloth on her swollen cheek. Amber flinched finding that that it was still tender.

"Would you stop struggling?" Dib ordered. "Why the hell can't you stay out of trouble?"

"When do I ever get in trouble?"

"Are you kidding me? If it's not me, it's Gaz. If it's not Gaz, it's Zim. And if it's not Zim, it's somebody else."

They stood in silence. Amber had taken particular interest in her feet. She looked at him through thick lashes and pondered if he knew how resilient she was. Did everyone assume she was frail and couldn't take care of herself? Collins wanted the conversation to be over. She refused to explain and mustered enough courage to take his hands in hers. Amber smiled and held them gently in her hands.

"How about you tell me what you did tonight?" She squeezed them affectionately.

"I infiltrated Zim's base. You wouldn't be interested."

"I had a long day," Amber said passively. "Hearing a story actually sounds relaxing, right now."

He blinked a couple times in disbelief but agreed to the request. That's how she spent the rest of her night. It was with Dib bouncing in the chair (which was strategically placed in front of his computer's desktop) barely able to contain his excitement and Amber sitting on the floor resting her head on the corner of his bed. There was enthusiasm behind everything he told her and she listened intently. The unique perspective had provided her with insight to the way Dib viewed the world and she had adopted a new admiration for his passion. It was there that she began to respect him and understand, even if they didn't always get along. That night, she drifted off into the land of slumber listening to him. She woke once, but that was only him stirring her so that she could return to her own room and sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Secrets and the Lies we Tell to Justify**

Madeline was jumping up in down in the hallway at school in front of Amber and was barely able to contain her enthusiasm about her current subject. She was desperately trying to convince Collins to attend a comic book convention dressed as some character who apparently looked just like her. She didn't really believe Madeline, but humored her listening to the details intently. Amber's eyes followed the motion of Maddie's body up and down, up and down. Zim leaned against a locker beside her, not showing any interest in the subject.

"See? You look just like her!" Madeline exclaimed holding the book and pointing to a girl on the cover.

"Huh? I'll be damned." Amber stated as she examined the picture. It did resemble her. Only the clothes and hair style were different.

She flipped through the book intrigued. The first chapter went into a detailed description of how she and her friend had uncovered an archaic form of alchemy. It was old information that Amber had already developed a hypothesis for when she had been in Amestris since the subject was the only thing that could explain the births of Malice and Misery (the homunculi that came from Amber and Cynthia when they had passed through the gate and their souls fragmented). That and the symbols in the book that had led her here were identical to the ones in Central's library when she was traveling with Fullmetal and his brother.

"So, uh, who exactly is this Amber in your story, again?"

"Not Amber," Madeline rolled her eyes, "Eiamber. She's a Jumper. When she was fifteen she went down to the basement with her friend Cidney and they found a book with old alchemy symbols in it. Well, Eiamber accidentally activated them." She whispered under her breath as if it were a sacred secret, "She's not very bright."

"Am too!"

"You're fifteen?" Zim asked. That was new information he hadn't been expecting and his body perked in interest.

"No, Eiamber's fifteen. Don't you pay attention?" Madeline reprimanded. "Either way, when she activated it, she tore apart the space and time continuum, since alchemy was never meant to be used in her world. She shouldn't have been able to open it, but she did. And now she has no control or knowledge of where she's going to go next. And there's this other book called Hearts Kingdom and this guy, Aros, has a giant key and-"

"Yeah, that's really cool, Maddie. But could you give us a minute alone?"

"Ooooh, I get what you're saying."

"No, no you don't."

"It's no problem. I'll go talk to, Keef," she smirked over her head as she turned the corner, "and leave you two, alone."

"I'm going to kill her."

"YOU'RE FIFTEEN?"

"Zim, we moved passed that five minutes ago."

"But, I don't understand," he scratched his head dumbfounded; "You can't be more than thirteen. I scanned you when you snuck into my lab. It said you were thirteen. THIRTEEN! It can't be wrong. It's far more advanced than any _human _technology."

"It's probably fine. My body adapts each world I'm in. Don't know why, but I think it's a side effect of whatever brought me here, or there could be some variation in the time line."

"But, I don't understand. It still should have picked up the… Hey! What did she mean by leaving us alone?"

"You just realized that?" Amber slapped her forehead. "Ugh, never mind. Look, we have more important things to deal with at the moment."  
"Eh, we? What makes you think I need help from a puny, mindless, meat pup-" Zim stopped talking when he received a scowl from Amber. "Oh right. You're _different_."  
"Yes, we," she pulled out some diagrams from her backpack ignoring his last statement. "Dib was working on these a few days ago. This is from the first time he charted the fields and the energies." Amber pointed to the other sheet where the data's size increased, "and this is from the second time."

"So?"

"So, they're bigger. Zim, you can't use that machine, again. You're going to unravel this entire universe."

"It is my job as an Irken invader to destroy this filthy planet and all of its," he looked around examining his surroundings, "filth."

"Zim, if you destroy Earth this way, you're going to destroy Irk, too."

"Do you have any proof?"

At this point, all of Amber's patience had been used and she slapped Zim upside the head. "I should be all the proof you need, YOU DUMBASS!"

"You dare hit me? ME? ZIM? I will wipe your pathetic existence from-"

"FOCUS!" She shouted at the top of her lungs and resisted the urge to strangle him. And she desperately wanted to strangle him, as she struggled to keep her voice steady. "Zim, worlds have rules, more importantly, they have boarders. If you break a rule, you tear at a boarder. If you tear at a boarder, everything collides. If too many things collide, there is a good chance that it's going to collapse. And it can happen like that," Amber snapped her finger. "Don't you understand? That's what Dib's data is showing us. Those energy marks shouldn't be there."

"I still don't see your point."

"Everything is connected. Those places Madeline was talking about, I've seen. Different names, yes, but I've been to them. And I'm beginning to think that ideas are only things we sense happening in other worlds. We're just not consciously aware of them. In other words, it does affect me, because you may destroy my home in the process."

"Eh, not my problem."

"Ok, that's it. I'm going to try to explain this in a way even you can understand," Amber reached into her locker and pulled out a notebook. She drew a few pictures and showed one to Zim. It revealed a giant circle labeled 'Doom Machine.' Beside it, there was a green stick figure. She pointed to each one as she described what it represented. "This is you, and this is your invention. You turned it on, and there was a big boom." Amber turned the page showing several red, orange, and yellow scribbles, which represented fire. The one after, revealed a land of black with two very angry sketches of Red and Purple standing over Zim.

"These are your leaders. They are not happy because you destroyed their favorite snack stand." Amber said. The final page was showed to him. He was wearing a hair net and flipping burgers. "See, you have been demoted. They were very angry with you." She flicked Zim on the forehead, "Bad Zim."

"NOOOOOO! THE SNACKS! NOT THE SNACKS!"

"Zim, it's-"

"AH! THE BEAUTIFUL SNACKS!"

"I was just-"

"MY TALLEST! FORGIVE ME!" Zim wailed and fell to the ground. Amber patted him on the head not sure how to respond. "NOOOOOOOO!" He cried unable to let the subject go. His arms wrapped around her waist and he clung to her. It was the most awkward experience she could recall.

"Umm… There, there?"

"How could I have strayed so far? How could I have let my Tallest down?"

"Zim, you haven't even done anything, yet."

"Oh," he stopped screaming and released her, "I haven't; have I? Well, now that has been established, let's continue our plans to destroy the _human_ race."

"I liked you better when you ignored me." Amber grumbled.

"What was THAT?"

"Nothing, Zim. Don't worry about it."

"You should be grateful I even grace you with my presence."

"I'd be more grateful if you'd shut up," Amber said blatantly and received a sharp glare from the Irken. "Well, I would."

His eyes squinted in anger, but dismissed Amber's comment.

"Perhaps, if the machine was recalibrated, that could stabilize it," Zim thought out loud.

"Maybe, if it was open for only a minimal amount of time? Dib did some research on your moose incident and found that the damage was significantly less, but it also hadn't been completely open for nearly as long. That could be a factor, too."

"So, if we designed it in the form of a wave."

"And an object traveled along the same path with that wave, we could open a portal for a fraction of the amount of time it would normally take for something to pass through."

The idea occurred for both of them at the same time. Amber clapped excited and Zim went on a tangent of ruling Earth. It wasn't until moments later when they realized they had helped each other and the celebration abruptly ended. There was a peculiar sensation about it. A sense of accomplishment mixed with apprehension. Neither completely trusted the other, but as long as both held their tongue, they could cooperate.

For Zim, it stemmed from the rational that Amber had not made her intentions clear and was currently neither enemy nor ally. She was merely indifferent. The fact that she resembled other Earthlings only emphasized it, since he did occasionally forget that she was as much of a foreigner as he was. Amber still wasn't sure if she trusted the Irken, knowing that he was interested in whatever benefitted him. If his life was in danger she would not bat an eyelash if he blabbed everything about her in order to save his own life. Also, accepting his offer had proven to be more difficult than she had anticipated. Her own personal morals were still a concern and prevented her from establishing an alliance. Regardless, of how she justified helping him, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that nagged in the back of her brain and told her that she was ending a civilization.

They looked at each other understanding that the other was still defensive of their situation. The conversation had been an accident, but the combined intellect had halved the time it would take them to establish a plan on their own. Neither could move and the ticking of a clock echoed through the school hallway as they considered their next action. Because the nature of the predicament was so intricate, they remained frozen to the spot.

v v v

Dib Membrane was always quick to jump to conclusions, especially when he was sure something suspicious was happening. However, when it came to Amber, he didn't know what to think. She had appeared in his life suddenly in a way that was near irrational, nor did he understand the relationship she had with Zim who not only tolerated her, but seemed to enjoy her company enough to not rip her eyeballs out or perform extensive _in vivo_ experimentation on her. It was true that she would normally give him the amount of space the Irken required, but even those who ignored him were usually belittled. Since the first day of school, she had always been _human_ to the small alien. Now Zim was calling her by her actual name, a rare 'privilege' that had previously only been offered to Dib.

It made his stomach clench, not because it was frightening to see Zim interact with the young girl, but because it meant he had enough respect for her to view her as an equal. That detail had been embedded in the back of his mind the first time he had seen them fight and made him wonder if Amber knew more than what she was telling him. Then, there was the whole other issue that everything had returned to normal. Amber still talked to Zim, annoyed him profusely, and tormented him even after he had tackled her to the ground only a week ago. How did someone recover from something that quickly?

Finally, there was the fact that Amber had come home bleeding and was ambiguous about where she had been or what she had done. 'It's complicated,' which was her poor choice of an excuse had only made Dib think that she was involved with something she shouldn't be. The fact that Zim had reminded him of the incident with Ms Bitters only solidified what he had been thinking and he felt guilty for doubting someone he considered to be his friend. And she was terrified, mentally scarred, when Zim attacked her which should have been enough proof that she wasn't… wasn't what? In league with the Irkens, that she wasn't human? No, that didn't make any sense. There was no possible way that this girl was anything other than an ordinary, human child. But that didn't answer why his instincts were screaming for him to get away from her as soon as possible, that she was dangerous, and something was wrong (even if he couldn't put his finger on what). Maybe, if he had contact with her mother it would put his mind at ease. The emails were still accessible through his father's inbox.

Dib reached into his locker and pulled out an old book titled 'Historical spells and Artifacts.' He had been planning to use the information in combination with one of his SpellBooks, a version of laptops that allowed people to cast simple magic. If he could use it to repeat Zim's experiment, he could send the Irken through, banishing him from the planet. There was always that energy deposit to consider. Dib didn't trust the data but assumed that the higher concentrations resulted from multiple uses, so if he sent Zim through, it would be benefitting Earth long term. It was a small price to save his planet.

The only problem was the spells had a tendency to backfire, or not work at all which made him very cautious. His first incident with Gaz had taught him that. Besides, he needed Spellpoints to use them and barely owned any. He could always trade other people for them, but the problem was finding people to trade with. Gaz never listened to him, or threatened his life when he spoke and Amber was… Amber was a ditz. A very clever ditz who always seemed to be able to manipulate conversation in her favor, he reminded himself thinking of several days ago when she had returned home looking like she had been in multiple brawls. He never got any information from her; in fact, he had told her more about what he had done that night than she had told him.

"You should really learn to show some respect for your superiors," Zim's voice crept through the hallway. "It will help you in the long run."

"I'm sure your ego is big enough without my help."

The second speaker was Amber. He would recognize her anywhere. Dib followed the sound. They were around the corner; Zim spoke with authority, not really caring who heard. Amber was weary and her back pressed against a nearby locker.

The Membrane boy hid along the wall, watching them. Zim was toying with her, like a cat and mouse, and Amber could sense it. She was livid, he could see it by the flash in her eyes, but she remained calm. It reminded him of the quiet before an enormous storm. She stood there, still and cool. The manner was nerve racking. He had never seen her this way before, so contemplative and calculative and frightening.

"Answer me this," Amber continued when Zim didn't speak, "why do you care if I help you?"

"Don't misunderstand. In fact, I doubt you'd be much help at all," Zim recited arrogantly. "I just want to make sure you stay out of my way."

"Fine," her tone cut like ice. Amber strode by him and made no sound, not even her steps hitting the floor. Her movements were ghostly, eerie, and beautiful, "Just remember our deal."

As she walked near Dib, he grabbed her arm, dragged her around the corner and slammed her into the lockers behind her.

"Dib?" Amber exclaimed stunned. "How long have you been standing there?"

"What deal?" he shrieked, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she shrunk back against the wall. Any confidence she had gained from her rage against Zim had been diminished. "Nothing, yet, anyway."

"He's the enemy! Don't you care that he's trying to-"

"It was a math project," the sentenced was rushed and strained. She was panicking and Dib knew. "He just wanted me to adjust some calculations. He didn't tell me what for."

There were tears in her eyes, but he couldn't tell if they were real or fake. She had hidden her true nature so well, and now it was almost impossible for him to identify what was Amber, and what was the character she portrayed herself to be.

"You said, 'remember our deal.'" It was more of a side thought, something that sounded like it had merit, but he wasn't sure why.

"So?"

"Remember." The phrase clicked, like a light turning on as he became aware of it. His grip tightened on her shoulders and he forced her harder into the wall. "You already promised him something."

Amber cried and he immediately released her. She fell to the ground whimpering and sniveling. He was amazed how she could perform her part, as if she was an actress in a play and she switched the characters instantly. If he didn't know better, he would say she was two people, but Amber was too aware to have multiple personalities. The concept was clever, and far beyond anything that wasn't influenced by manipulation.

"What are you hiding?" Dib waited for her to respond, but she only continued to whine. He grabbed her shoulder and held it tightly increasing the pressure. "Tell me!" He shouted and when there was no change in her demeanor he shoved her against the lockers, again and metal clanged as the door moved. "I heard you talking to him and I _know_ you're too smart to be completely innocent."

She stopped, the tears catching in her throat. Then she did something Dib hadn't been expecting. There was a glint of rebellion and she pushed him away forcefully as she stood. He stumbled back, surprised by the strength and swiftness of motion. She wasn't outrageously strong, but it was clear that her muscles were more developed than what most girls would be at his age. It suggested she was accustomed to fighting, but were she would have gotten the experience led to a greater mystery.

"So what?" Her tone was deeper, serious. "I promised him something so that I could get something in return. But, it doesn't really concern you, does it?"

"How can you say that? Do you know how dangerous it is to make a deal with _him_?"

"I know what I'm doing! Why can't you trust me?"

"Because you don't even trust _me_!"

Amber froze. They stood there in silence and she analyzed him with deep, green eyes. He noted the dim lighting in the hallway made them appear darker, almost blue, today. Something about them told Dib that he had been correct with his last retort and the girl knew it. Maybe, it was the softening of her expression that made him notice, but the silence was as good as a confession.

"You're right," Amber took a sudden interest in examining her feet. "I don't."

"But, you trust, Zim," Dib accused. He was slightly hurt that the girl who had been living with him had chosen to tell the alien, his enemy, more than what she told him. It wasn't right, especially when Zim would be more likely to betray her, yet she was willing to give him a secret that was so apart of her that she would tell nobody else.

"No," Amber said shaking her head. "I told Zim because at the time, that was the better alternative."

"What do you mean by that?" It made him feel a little better, not much, but a little.

"Don't worry about it."

"Amber,"

She sighed, "I'll be fine." And she left him with that final statement.


	8. Chapter 7

**Mistakes and Regrets**

Amber sat in a chair, balanced on the back two legs as she pushed her feet against the table next to her. She flipped what looked like a small, pink cellular phone open and closed with her thumb. Zim had given it to her earlier that day, claiming it was a way for them to communicate. If it had not been for the fact that she had caught GIR trying to climb on the back of her head and stalking her after she had told him to leave her alone, she may have believed him. It would have been surprising if there wasn't a tracking chip somewhere on it, but even through an extensive search, the alien technology was still too advanced and she couldn't locate any evidence supporting her suspicion.

The rain pattered on the window pane and she watched the water trail down the glass. Amber had always loved rain, the louder the thunder the better. It reminded her of music, but the magic had been lost on her journey. Bad things happened when it rained, sad things, too. The sky almost seemed to know.

She examined the phone branded with the Irken insignia. He didn't trust her -she knew that- but Amber didn't trust him, either. The girl was positive that he had given her the phone so he could collect information from safe within his own base. The communication window may have been a diversion, or a method for him to call and brag about his genius if she ever did something that he found suspicious. It didn't matter. At best, she and Zim were friends even though she would hardly consider them that. They had their moments, yes, but most of their time was spent being indifferent or bargaining for something the other had. Both could cooperate and tolerate the other, but other than that, they annoyed the hell out of each other. Besides, their ability to get along wasn't much considering that Dib and Zim could always form a momentary truce whenever it benefitted both of their goals.

"Hey, I know you're listening to me," Amber said to the phone. "I'm not stupid."

"Who are you talking to?"

Amber squealed and her muscles tensed. Her foot pressed a little too forceful on the desk and the chair toppled over with her still sitting in it. She flailed her arms as she fell. The next thing she knew, her back was on the ground and she was staring at the ceiling. Amber titled her head back so she could see who was speaking. Gaz scowled in the corner.

"Nobody," Amber sighed.

"Well, duh." She grimaced, "you've been hanging around my brother too much. Pretty soon, you're going to start sounding as stupid as he is."

"Come on, Gaz. Don't you think you're being a little harsh." Amber stood and propped the chair back up. "He's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say, you're not related to him. Where's my Game Slave? Dib said you had it last."

"He means well," Amber picked up the electronic device and held out it to Gaz who took it. "I know you get frustrated, but he _is_ your brother."

"So? He's annoying,"

"He's not-" Amber stopped reconsidering the statement, "Ok, he is, but that's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"At the end of the day, he'll always be there, even if nobody else is."

"Whatever." Gaz grumbled.

She left the room. Amber shook her head knowing that the advice would not be taken. It didn't matter, and she knew she shouldn't care considering it didn't affect her. At the same time, Amber couldn't dismiss that Gaz's lack of empathy had bothered her. Collins could understand Dib's reason for being so persistent it boarded on the thin line of paranoia. That understanding for the Membrane boy probably stemmed from the shared trait that both were older siblings.

She had three younger brothers growing up and was always used to being the protective one. It wouldn't surprise her if Dib felt the same way about Gaz, even if they didn't always get along. That was probably where his determination stemmed from, or why he felt obligated to save his world. Older siblings protected their family, no matter the costs. Amber picked up the phone.

"I love this show," the words sounded mechanical and forced from the device.

"GIR, I can hear you."

"No, yooooooou caaaaaan't."

Zim was yelling at the robot in the background. Amber couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, and she wasn't sure if she should laugh or feel insulted that the alien considered her this oblivious.

"Hello," it was Zim's voice, "this device is malfunctioning and apologizes for the inconvenience."

"Zim," Amber began, "wouldn't it have made more sense if you didn't install audio on my receiving end?"

"Ah… Zim is not available at this time. To call another worm baby, please press four."

"You know, I think I'd rather see what happens if I put this in the microwave."

"You can't do that! That would—Ah, I mean…" he hesitated, "to call another worm baby, please press seven."

"You just changed the numbers."

"Silence!"

"Fine," Amber groaned, "can you take a message?"

"Yes, yes of course, for I am a normal device that was designed to make normal calls and record normal messages. And I'm definitely not some secret hidden camera designed to spy on your whereabouts at every moment."

"Then, tell Zim that he's an idiot?"

"Yes, I—Hey! I am not! How dare you insult-"

"I thought you were a normal phone?" Amber smirked.

"Yes, I—well-"

"I'm waiting," she chimed imagining Zim's fuming face. It was quite entertaining thinking that she was in the safety of the Membrane house and he was miles away. His antennas were twitching and his temple throbbed slightly. It was the same as insulting him in person, but without worrying about an untimely demise.

"Shut up, Amber! Nobody likes you."

"Claro (_clearly_)."

"¡Dijé silencio (_I said quiet)_! ¿Eh? ¿Qué hiciste (_Eh? __What did you do)_?"

Amber stifled a laugh realizing that the phenomenon was most likely a function of his translator. If it automatically switched languages based on what other people were speaking, it would explain how Zim knew English as well as he did. She grinned evilly knowing that this knowledge was going to present her with so many fun opportunities.

"No te lo preocupas (_Don't worry about it)_. Adios, Zim (_bye, Zim_)."

She shoved the phone into her desk drawer so he wouldn't be able to annoy her.

"Imbécil (_idiot_)," Amber whispered under her breath. Part of her could never understand how anyone could be so reckless. Perhaps Gaz was right. Zim would never take over their planet because he refused to consider consequences. If he applied himself, there was a good chance that he would succeed. He just didn't have the dedication, and when he finally found it, Dib was there to thwart him.

She sighed and pushed herself out of the chair. Amber needed someone to talk to, not really to confide in, but she needed a normal conversation, not one that consisted of tormenting a maniacal alien. It was doubtful she would find anyone normal, so she settled on searching for the person's personality that was the closest to being normal… Dib. Lightning flashed and the thunder roared soon after. It could have been an ill omen. After all, bad things always seemed to happen when it rained, but she ignored it.

v v v

"But, dad you can't be serious!" Dib argued over the phone. He was hidden in his father's lab. Originally, he had snuck into it in order to access the email database. When no contact information was linked with Amber through the emails his father had received, he had made the call.

"Actually, I am serious. Quite serious," Professor Membrane's voice boomed through the speaker. "I don't remember speaking with Amber's mother at all. But, I am a busy man and those emails are mine, so I must have done it at some point."

"You don't think it's odd that this information randomly appeared, and you don't have any recollection at all?"

"It didn't randomly appear. There are dates on the emails, son."

"That's not what I meant, Dad," Dib snorted. Honestly, how could people be this ignorant? "I mean, how can you not remember agreeing to this? It's kind of a big deal to take care of another person. You must have given it some thought."

"Nope," an alarm sounded in the background. "Oh! That the nuclear fission core. Have to go, son. Science waits for no man."

There was a click and the line went dead. He groaned. Nobody ever believed him, no matter what he said. Dib had searched relentlessly through all of the school files. All of them were complete, but he couldn't get a hold of her mother or any relative. Even when dialing the numbers the only thing he go was a robotic voice that said, 'this number has been disconnected. Please, hang up and try, again." His father's collection of emails was worse and only offered the name of Irene. How strange that she didn't contact Professor Membrane in person. He would have assumed that a mother would want to speak in person, or at least call over the phone. Reluctantly, Dib walked upstairs. His stomach ached with dread as he wandered into the guest bedroom that Amber was staying in. She wasn't there.

He entered the room examining all of her belongings that appeared to belong to normal people, backpack, textbooks, pens, pencils, and paper. Dib smiled. Perhaps, he was just being paranoid; he had no reason to mistrust her. Even if she was keeping secrets, everybody had them so it probably wasn't as big of a deal as what he had believed. The Membrane boy picked up her backpack. Its zipper came loose and spilled the contents all over the floor and among them was a set of daggers. He froze while gingerly picking them up and holding them in his hand. They were light, designed for throwing. Why would any normal girl need this?

Carefully, Dib put everything away being sure that it was exactly as he had found it. It made him worried and only heightened his fear. Amber wasn't normal, she couldn't be. But then, what was she? He searched the rest of the room for a clue, finding almost nothing. The bookshelves contain encyclopedias and language dictionaries and the extra computer had a couple of basic games, but none were threatening. Even under the bed was clean. Dib was about to give up before he looked at the desk. There was a drawer.

He opened it and rummaged through finding mostly extra notebooks. Then, it was there, smooth and small. Dib examined the device which was far more complicated than any technology he had seen. He turned it over and his heart stopped as he saw the Irken insignia on the back. Quickly, he placed it in the drawer and organized everything to how it had been before slamming in shut and stumbling onto the floor. Dib raced out of the room, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing. He knew he _had_ to get back to his room as he rushed down the hall afraid for his life.

v v v

Amber had went into Dib's room hoping to find companionship, but what she had stumbled upon disturbed her. She had knocked on the door hoping he would be there, but like most times, he was absent, probably working on an experiment. His computer was on and connected to what appeared to be a modern record player, the ones with a case on the outside and were designed for carrying. She fiddled with one of the dials slightly curious on what it was. The word Spelldrive flashed across the screen.

Amber explored the contents of the main computer as she maneuvered the arrow with the mouse. She typed a couple of codes unsure what she was looking at. The Spelldrive unlocked and the screen flickered to life.

"Good evening, this spell requires 50 Spellpoints. Please, submit to unlock."

She continued to read a very lengthy description which explained fractioning and splitting of space and time. She felt her blood run cold. From what she had gathered, Dib was also trying to open a portal. That was, if the Spelldrive was any support at all of the finding. Amber typed a few more keys on his computer's keyboard and explored the information. It didn't take long to find his blog that confirmed her suspicion. All of the calculations were wrong and had no destination for where the portal would connect. Damn it, that kid –with her luck- was going to tear a hole and bring a 70 ft demon through. That's just what they needed.

"Not good," Amber murmured under her breath while trying to locate more information. She was almost there when—

Water sloshed over her, dousing her hair and body in the cool liquid. Amber stopped, stunned at the sensation. She turned and faced Dib, who looked just as confused as she did.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" Amber shouted as her expression morphed into anger.

"But, but—I don't understand. You're not screaming, or burning, or anything."

"Of course, I'm not! Who do you think I am, Alphaba?"

Dib screamed, fell backwards, and scrambled out of the room. She hesitated, but followed somehow knowing she was going to regret doing so.

"Dib?" He was in the kitchen now, hiding behind the counter.  
"Stay back!"

Amber flinched at the harshness of tone but recovered quickly. "Dib, why are you threatening me with a butter knife?"

"I- I know what you are," he stuttered as he held the weapon in front of him. "I saw it! I know!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're Irken! I saw the phone!"

"Phone? What pho-," Amber's voice caught in her throat as she realized what he was referring to. "Dib, Zim gave me that phone!"

"Liar! Why would he give you it if you were human, hmm? It's because you're one of them, isn't it? He brought you here with that _thing_."

"If I was Irken, why didn't the water hurt me?"

"If you're human, how do you know Irkens can be burned by water?"

"Because, you said it UPSTAIRS!" Amber could feel her temper rising, bubbling to the surface and reverberating in her voice.

"That's a pretty good point, but how do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Why the hell would I waste my time spying on you if I was Irken?"

"I'm the only one who knows Zim's secret. You just want to get rid of me. You're just waiting for the right opportunity."

"You're an IDIOT! If I wanted to do _that _I would have done it the first night I got HERE! People in your world are so STUPID they probably wouldn't even notice the MISSING BODY!" Amber crossed her arms and huffed. She was fuming and could feel her blood running hot as her temper began to take over. Dib stared, his jaw was wide open, and he dropped the knife which clattered to the floor and the sound echoed in the empty room. It wasn't until moments later, that her brain processed the words that had just spilled out. Amber gasped in horror and clapped her hands over her mouth, as if it would take back what she had just said.

Damn it. How could she be _that_ foolish? Impulsive, irresponsible, brainless, any of those words didn't begin to describe what she had just done, and out of anger, none the less.

"You just said 'your world.'"

"I said 'our world,'" Amber stuttered hoping that his memory would falter. Luck was not on her side as he screamed and fled the kitchen. She rushed after him to the second floor and he took a sharp turn into her room. Dib slammed the door and Amber winced as it nearly hit her in the face.

"Dib," Amber sighed while pounding on the door with her fist. "Let me in. I'm cold and wet."

"That's just what you want, to have access to all your alien technology and _things_."

"Damn it, Dib! Open this door, or I'm breaking it down!"

"Can't do that when all your weapons are in _here, _can you?" His voice was too smug. Amber twisted the door knob and threw her weight against the wood. She was heavy enough to make it open a couple inches, but it shut abruptly. Dib still weighed more than she did. Amber may have been stronger with her gymnast training, but was still at a disadvantage with her size when it came to fighting boys.

"Come on, let me in!" She pounded harder and pressed against the floor trying to open the door enough for her to slip through. At this rate, she was going to kill him. She kicked the wall, and her foot hurt and began to throb. Perhaps, she should have decided to live with one of the other students. At this rate, she probably would need to re access the school's mainframe, anyway. "Dib, I was joking. Open the damn door!"

"No, you weren't. I know everything. EVERYTHING!"

"What exactly do you know?"

"That you're here to take over the planet and enslave the human race."

Amber sighed, "Dib, I think you're confusing me with Zim. Now could you please let me back into MY ROOM?"

"So you admit it! "

"Admit what?"

"You knew Zim was an alien the whole time?"

"I'm erasing your computer hard drive." Amber said flatly as she began walking toward Dib's room. She was tired of trying to be calm, tired of tolerating his idiosyncrasies, and tired of trying to act like a grown up. The door to her room flew open and Dib rushed into the hall.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"Want to bet?"

"I'll lose all my research. My files for 'Mysterious Mysteries,' my contacts for the Swollen Eyeball, my- my-"

"You're what, Dib?"

"That's not fair," he whined. His voice cracked with the newly achieved octave.

"I don't care." Amber's voice was harsh and cold. They glared at each other before she gained the confidence to push past him so she could get into her room. Collins had gotten what she had wanted. All she needed was for him to open the door and now holding a threat over him didn't make any difference. She reached into her backpack pulling out the knives that she had been practicing with earlier that day. They were loose in their case, which indicated someone had been searching through them.

"YOU WENT THROUGH MY STUFF!" Amber shouted the accusation at the top of her lungs. Her voice was shocked and filled with hurt.

"You were keeping SECRETS! What was _I_ supposed to do?" Dib finally allowed his anger to surface.

"I don't know, maybe, trust _me_?"

"Why should I? You're working with_ him!_" Dib yelled with disdain. Amber knew he was referring to Zim.

"I am not!"

"You're thinking about it! What am I supposed to do when you're thinking about working with the enemy?"

"Come on, Dib! Yeah, his offer is tempting, but I'm not going to do anything STUPID. Even if I did work with him, it would be to make sure _his_ evil plan didn't backfire."

"You're a liar. Face it, all you care about is yourself," his words stung. "You never cared about any of us. You've been using me from the start. You're only good for manipulating other people so you can get what you want."

"And what was I supposed to do? Show up on your doorstep and say, 'Hi Dib. I'm from another world that runs parallel to your own. Don't mind me as I sleep on your couch, indefinitely.'" Amber snorted, "Because, that would have gone so well."

"You just can't handle the fact that I know what you are. You're an alien; a hideously disfigured, alien! I bet you don't even know what it's like to care about someone. You just want to accomplish you're mission and you don't care what it takes as long as your leaders are happy."

"Stop it! That's not true!" Amber could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She blinked a couple times. He would not see her cry.

"I bet you don't even know what love is. I bet you don't know what it's like to lose a family member. Do you? You'd probably dispose of all of us as soon as you had the opportunity. You never cared. All you think about is yourself," Dib hissed.

Her stomach churned as she realized Dib was right. Amber did only think of herself. She was too late to save Demyx and took Xaldin's life herself when had threatened her closest friend, Cynthia. A new homunculus was brought beyond the gate because she passed through, and the burden was given to Edward and his brother when they had traveled in Amestris. And, if she had listened to Cynthia when she had found that stupid book, none of this would have happened. Was that all she was good for, being the villain? The question had always lingered in the back of her brain since the day she had been sorted into Slytherin. Amber had tried to make things right, she had tried to take care of everyone she had been close to, but everything always went wrong, including today.

Her fingers tightened around one of the knives. Who was he to judge? He didn't know what it was like. Dib hadn't even bothered to ask her about her story. All he did was make assumptions without even knowing her past. Amber's green eyes flashed and she glared at him, full of rage and contempt.

"MIND YOUR OWN GOD DAMNED BUSINESS, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" She screamed and at that moment, threw one of the knives. It sailed through the air with deadly accuracy and burrowed deep in the wall an inch above Dib's head. A few strands of his hair were cut and drifted to the floor. He stood there, frozen, startled, and afraid. Amber firmly grasped the door handle.

"The next one won't miss. STAY out of my ROOM!" She shouted, livid as she slammed the door, not bothering to hear the Membrane boy's response. In fact, he was probably too frightened to do anything, considering how high the argument had escalated.

Amber leaned against the door and slid to the floor. He had no _right _to judge her. None of them did. None of them knew what it was like to be her. Half of them didn't even know the real her. They just saw the artificial, copy she would pretend to be. Adrenaline pumped through her body into her extremities. She breathed deeply, attempting to get control of her emotions that were now wild and aggravated as several fought for dominance. There were so many to feel, all at a single instant: betrayal, hurt, remorse, rage, and a small bit of relief now that she didn't have to keep hiding secrets. How was she supposed to separate all of them?

When she had finally calmed down, Amber curled into her body, and buried her face into her knees. Then, she proceeded to cry. The fight could have gone much better than what it had, she knew that. But, she had lost sight of the outcome and allowed her temper to get the better of her which was why the justifications she used originally seemed rational during the argument but were now insignificant. And she criticized and cursed herself for the behavior. Whether Dib ever trusted her, again, was one thing, but Amber knew her relationship with the Membrane boy would never be the same. She had lost the only person she could talk to and feel somewhat normal. And what had hurt the most, what struck the nerve that reverberated deep through her mind and soul, was _she_ had been wrong. _She_ had been foolish. _She_ had made the rash decision to lose control. And, no matter how much she apologized, it would never make the situation ok. The thunder boomed outside and it only made her curled into a fetal position and isolated herself from the world.

v v v

Dib continued to work on his computer. About an hour had passed since their argument. He was surprised that Amber had managed to hack the main system. Luckily, no permanent damage was evident. It surprised him that she was able to enter the mainframe. Dib had known she had been more intelligent than what she had shown, but basic hacking skills were not something he was expecting. He had wondered how she had been able to enter the school's filing system. Perhaps, if Zim was the one who brought her here, he had arranged it so that she could spy on him. Either way, now that he knew the truth, he would be more prepared. He heard a knock at his door and turned to see her. His throat tightened. Amber resembled humans so much. Her disguise was flawless. It was no wonder why he hadn't seen it earlier.

"Hey, I'm going over to Madeline's, tonight," she said quietly.

"Don't lie. We both know where you're actually going, so why bother pretending?"

"I'm not lying," Her voice rose defensively. Amber paused and Dib could hear a deep intake of breath. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you and I shouldn't have lost my temper the way I did."

"Yeah, like I'd actually believe _that._" Dib spat. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Seriously? What did you expect me to do? Tell everyone I talk to?"

"Do you really think I'm upset about that? Amber, you've been working with Zim the entire time. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"I don't work for him. Dib, Zim may be the reason I'm here, but that doesn't mean anything."

"I bet," the membrane boy scoffed. Amber sighed, defeated. Regardless of what she said, he would only assume she was lying. There was no purpose to continue the conversation. She left the room without another word. Her footsteps were almost silent in the hallway. The guilt twisted Dib's stomach into a knot making it feel as if he had been punched. It never ceased to amaze him how girls could do that, even alien girls.


	9. Chapter 8

**Schemes that go Bad or Just Bad Schemes**

The next day, Amber picked at the food on her lunch tray. She wasn't really interested in eating after everything that had happened the night before. Madeline sat beside her at the table. The new company was enjoyable and it was nice to have the change. Collins really didn't want to be anywhere near Dib or Zim because she was currently angry with both of them; Dib (for being Dib) and Zim (blaming him for part of the incident the night before). Did the emotions make sense? Probably not, but at the moment, Amber didn't care.

"Amber, are you ok? You haven't touched your meatloaf." Madeline asked with every good intention.

"Huh?"

"Your food. You haven't eaten anything"

"Oh, right," Amber looked down at her tray. A bubble surfaced and burst in the gray gunk. She grimaced as she picked up her forked and it slowly trailed off of the plastic in clumps. Truthfully, Amber wasn't sure if she would have her appetite if she wasn't fighting with Dib.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I told you that, yesterday."

"She just can't eat our food. Isn't that right, Amber?" The membrane boy smirked. "If that _is_ your real name, that is."

"What does he mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it," Amber mumbled. "Go away."

"Or, you'll what?" He sat down in a seat directly across from her. "Dissect me? Threaten to do in vitro human experiments on my body? Maybe I should just make it easy and tell everyone that you're-"

Amber kicked his shin under the table. Dib stopped talking as he clenched his teeth and messaged his bruised injury.

"You brat! What was that for?" Dib shouted. Amber's eyes widened while she faked innocence. She appeared almost angelic as the natural tension in her body was released making her seem unguarded and easily led. But, behind it were remnants of the conniving and manipulative girl she could be.

"What was what for?"

"You just kicked me!"

"No, I didn't."

Madeline's eyes shifted as she followed their conversation. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

"Hey, are you guys fighting?" she asked politely.

"No," Dib answered.

"What would give you that idea?" Amber said sarcastically.

"Oh, I don't know. The short retorts, the taunting, and the use of blackmail- oh, and Dib was glaring at you in class. I mean, he always glares at Zim, but I hardly ever see him look at you. Then again, I hadn't noticed he was in our class until last week. I guess sometimes I can be kind of oblivious, because I don't always realize-"

"Madeline," Amber interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, big deal," Amber said while picking up her lunch. "I'm going to class early. You coming?"

Madeline nodded as she began cleaning her spot on the table. Collins turned her head and met Dib's eyes. They stood there for a moment before she looked away, ashamed and embarrassed, unsure of what to say or how to say it. Her head dropped as she looked at her feet and shifted unfortably. Madeline walked in front, waiting for her to follow.

"I am sorry." Amber said, her voice was hushed. Dib jerked back instinctively, not sure how to respond to the sudden change in Amber's demeanor. She didn't bother to turn around as she walked to class.

The rest of the day's time passed slowly and when they were finally released, Amber had to tolerate more rambling from Zim, as opposed to their teacher. Honestly, she hadn't wanted anything to do with the little, green alien- at least not today- but he wouldn't stop following her as he shouted angrily about Dib's latest plan to foil him. They walked to the front of the school, Zim's voice echoing through the hall as he blindly followed her. She had tried to get rid of him by entering the girl's bathroom, but he just continued to rant even when no one was present and she wondered if he noticed that she had left. In fact, she wasn't even sure if Zim was aware that he was speaking out loud, and VERY loud for that matter.

"And his head is so _stupid_. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. And he thinks he's all that, but he's not and Dib-"

"Dude, what happened to you, today? Did he throw another muffin at you or something?" Amber asked getting annoyed.

"SILENCE HUMAN!"

"So, he did throw a muffin at you."

Zim's cheeks darkened as he glared at her. Then he started screaming again, something about revenge against humanity and the humans paying for disrespecting him for so long. It's almost like watching a two-year old throwing a temper tantrum, was all she could think of as Zim cried and flailed his arms. Amber's eyes shifted to the next corner and she was half tempted to ditch him right then and there. But, some small part of her consciousness wouldn't allow her to justify it. Collins sighed and rolled her eyes as she realized she couldn't just leave the alien to his fit. She took a deep breath and held up her hand. Hesitating for a moment, she gathered the courage and placed a reassuring hand on the back of Zim's shoulder.

"This is middle school," Amber said. "Believe me; it sucks for everyone else, too."

Zim stopped, and the hallway became completely silent. His eyes had widened and his jaw had dropped in shock. He starred at her, completely caught off guard and unsure how to respond. And then, he slapped her hand away.

"You dare touch me! _Me_? _Zim_?"

"It's called being **nice.**"

"I don't need your niceness_ human!_"

"You know what?" Amber said, her voice emanating with rage, "That's it!"

She had enough. Between her fight with Dib and Zim being Zim, her tolerance had reached its capacity and had gone beyond. Amber tackled Zim, and he was too surprised to respond with a counterattack. They rolled around on the school floor, both wrestling to bring the other one down. He pulled her hair and she bit his wrist. They struggled and moved through the halls kicking and punching, shouting words of frustration.

At some point, Amber had managed to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him in a tight headlock. Zim had criticized her for ruining his precious plans, and at another point, she could remember blaming him for Dib finding out about her. Then, she climbed on his back and he slammed her into a locker. Amber responded by grabbing him around the waist, pushing against the wall with her feet, and pushing him to the ground. There she had pinned him, but Zim kicked her and she flinched which gave him enough time to push her off. He dragged her by the back of her coat across the floor and she rotated her body so that she could crawl on her hands and feet.

The scene continued for about twenty minutes and somewhere in the struggle they ended on the front steps of the school. It wasn't until then that they realized they were being watched, by half the school. Both of them stopped and met each other's gaze. Amber had one arm around Zim's waist and the other one holding his fist away from her face. Zim's other hand had a large portion of Amber's hair which he was currently pulling.

"What are you doing?" Dib asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Nothing," Amber and Zim said in unison as they released each other and avoided the other's gaze.

"Really?"

"Yes, _really_, Dib." Amber said as she pushed passed him and dragged Zim by the back of his shirt. She didn't look back as she continued to walk, but she could sense Dib's eyes on her back.

Amber wandered through the town, at some point she had been near Zim's house. Truthfully, she couldn't remember how she had arrived. Subconsciously, she released the back of his shirt and stared out at the city. Zim watched her, his eyes wavering in apprehension. They stood there at the end of his block.

"He hates me."

"Why do you care what Dib thinks?" He spat. "All the humanson this planet are stupid, stupid and smelly."

Amber snorted realizing that this was the closest thing she was probably going to get to sympathy. At least it kept her fighting. She remembered the offer he had made her earlier that year. Amber bit her lip, unsure of what to do. Her conscience screamed at her, but she ignored it while succumbing to the anger she felt toward Dib and the isolation she felt in this world.

"About that deal you offered me, is it still open?"

The alien smiled and extended his hand. Amber reluctantly took it. They were in agreement. A part of her felt guilty, but what else was she supposed to do? Or at least, that's how she rationalized it in her brain. Then again, maybe (she questioned) Dib was right about her. Maybe she was just a selfish child who was willing to throw away anyone who didn't benefit her.

v v v

Dib searched through his notes on his computer. He was currently researching ways to open other worlds and his plan had only been accelerated based on the events from the previous night. Lights flashed on the screen as he typed several keys. A warning flashed as he accessed his spelldrive. Everything was finally ready. He grinned, giddily scooping up his computer and several notes that lay scattered across the table as he skipped out the door. To think that he could just send their species elsewhere, it would mean that Dib had finally won after months of planning. The elimination of an entire species wasn't necessary; he didn't have to think on that large of scale. All Dib had to do was have a way so that they couldn't intervene. Best of all, Zim had already thought of the plan months ago, he just had to tweak a few calculations.

Dib continued down the street to the graveyard where he had previously done most of his research. He uncovered a device that resembled a large laser under a bush. It had been built several weeks ago, a modified version of what Zim had attached to the bus that was supposed to banish him and his entire class to the room with the moose. The plan wasn't exactly inventive, but it would have gotten Dib out of the way. It had surprised him that the alien had tried a modified version of the plan by bringing Amber to his world. Dib shuddered as the remnants of hurt and betrayal threaded their poisonous web through his body. Never before had Zim sunk so low as to create a false identity with a fabricated friendship in order to trick and manipulate him. He forced the emotions out of his brain as he began connecting his computer and spelldrive to the device he had uncovered.

It flickered to life as he typed a few codes. After spending his spellpoints, he ran the program that would open the portal. An accept button flashed on his computer screen and he clicked it without considering the consequences. The points drained from his online file. The laser hummed as it came to life. Pages with various amounts of information opened on his computer desktop. Lightning flashed above his head and Dib wondered why the sudden change in weather occurred.

A beam of light was projected from the laser and a portal opened. Something arose from the darkness that swirled in front of him. The hooded figured screeched and its voice pierced the night with a cry that could shatter glass. It landed in front of him and a humanoid form manifested from the mist that settled in a clouded figure. The dense, smoky illusion draped over the creature's shoulders, forming a cloak and hood that hid its face. Dib felt is blood turn to ice water as he had the dreaded feeling that this unexpected occurrence was an ill omen.

"Umm, hello," Dib said waving his hand nervously. "I'm Dib and I-"

He was stuttered as the glowing red eyes beneath the hood flashed. He couldn't see the face, but those eyes glared at him malevolently. A green arm with slender fingers extended from the cloak, and the creature clutched the boy's throat. Its grip tightened and Dib could feel the airflow being restricted to his lungs. Dib grabbed the creature's wrist instinctively as he tried to pry the hand away while choking- and ineffectively- gasping for air. He coughed and gurgled as he struggled, but _its_ grip remained unyielding.

"I should thank you _human_," It hissed with a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"W—what are you?"

"Please, call me Hex," it cackled and the laughter echoed through the field, reverberating off the trees. It was unfathomable to think of the power behind the tone as Dib felt a pain that threatened to expand deep within his body, as if he was being torn apart from the inside-out.

The creature released its grip and Dib collapsed on the ground wheezing. Hex manifested a staff from nowhere and in a fluid swoop, vanished. Dib flinched as the creature disappeared from his view and became invisible to the naked eye.

"Tell me; should I toy with you before I kill you?"

Dib jumped as Hex manifested behind him. He fell backwards, instinctively trying to find a way to escape.

"But, you c—can't," Dib's voice cracked, "I-I released you. You owe me."

"Maybe, but I don't really care," Hex placed a hand on his shoulder, and Dib felt the chill of death lingering on the palm of the creature's hand. At least, that is what he imagined death to feel like; cold and empty.

"But, the energy is different here. Powers beyond, in the living realm." Hex laughed. "It's so different from that boring ectoplasm. So-ooo, _delicious_ and, "he chortled, "perhaps you can be some use to me, yet."

_It_ chuckled and Dib felt his heart stop as the cold child spread through his entire body. He struggled as the unseen force took over and clouded his mind. It was a strange sensation that he had never experienced it before. Time was lost, memories were lost, and the control of his body was lost. Dib pulled at his hair and cried as he fought the entity, his will was strong, but it wasn't strong enough to control it.

Places blended together as he walked down the streets. He needed help. He had to get help. He needed _them_, but he couldn't remember who they were. At times, flashes of places he recognized would appear in front of him, when Dib was in control, but he had no recollection of how he got there. If felt like a dream, some things would remain coherent and others would not and memories of what had happened became fractured and intangible. But, Dib kept walking, kept fighting—

He had to find…

He had to…

He…

Couldn't remember

v v v

"You're going to shrink the moon?" Amber asked Zim as she attempted to comprehend a small fraction of his 'ingenious' plan. "Why?"

"The _humans_ have a recorded a connection of Earth water movements and this giant mass. Once we control it, I can create a giant tsunami that will flood the entire planet."

"I don't get it. Your technology is leaps and bounds ahead of theirs. Wouldn't it be easier just to infiltrate the 'US National Center for Infectious Diseases?'" Amber asked as she swiveled in her chair. Zim had been rambling on for almost an hour. However, after the first twenty minutes, his ideas were becoming a little repetitive.

Amber sighed wondering why his plans always sounded overly complex and intricate. She could never understand why he didn't make it easier on himself and think of something less… well, dumb.

"What's in there?"

"Smallpox."

"Pox? POX!" Zim waved his arms, enraged by the suggestion. "How DARE you think I require the help of this pox. You DARE underestimate ME, _Zim_? I will show you the meaning of Pox, and it will be big, bigger than YOURS! And, I will call it Big Pox."

Amber slapped her palm to her face. _"Seriously?"_

"Zim, where do you come up with this stuff, anyway?"

"The _humans _have records of a different alien race doing this several centuries ago. But, they were thwarted by a pig smelly called Noah… and his arc." Zim turned to face her, his disguise completely removed, "That's where you come in. In order to ensure our plan is a success, you in GIR must infiltrate this Noah's residence, find the weapon, and de-"

"Oh God!" Amber yelled finally realizing the origin of the idea. "Zim, that wasn't an invasion; it's a passage from the BIBLE!"

The doorbell rang and they left the laboratory to go upstairs. The Irken was actually lucky considering that the interruption had prevented Amber from strangling him for being so ignorant. True, the misunderstanding would have been an honest one if Zim were new to the planet, but after living here for so long, how do you confuse one of America's main religions with an invasion. She would have assumed that he would have realized at least some of the more habitual customs, like going to church.

Zim opened the door (putting on the fake contacts and wig as he did) and she sat on the couch, trying to ignore the annoying, and malfunctioning, parent drones. GIR remained beside her and offered her some of the waffles he was currently decorating with maple syrup and hot fudge. She looked down at his plate and identified several white shavings that she guessed were soap. Amber groaned as she beat her head on the coffee table, tired of watching GIR consume his two star cuisines.

There was a gurgling on the other side of the door. That didn't sound human- even for this world- and the fragmented and barely comprehendible English was enough to spike her curiosity. Amber didn't really understand what had happened only that- whoever it was at the door- was in serious trouble. Zim's laughter only enforced her suspicion. She peered over his shoulder to see who it was; knowing that there was NO way that Zim would give her the details later. The alien attempted to stop her by slamming the door in her face, but she clutched the handle firmly guessing that it probably meant that the issue was more severe than she anticipated.

"Dib?" Amber asked with a mixture of disbelief, shock, and confusion as it registered in her brain at the boy who stood before her; hunched over, gasping for breath, and covered in sweat, blood, and mud.

"P- Please," he reached out to her and she took his hand. The weight of his body collapsed into her and she nearly fell to her knees.

"Are you ok?"

His grip tightened and he looked up at her with red eyes. Intuition warned her of danger within the unnatural irises. Dib hissed and raised a hand to slap her across the face; his nails scratched the surface of her skin, just under the right eye. She flinched while dropping him and stumbling backwards.

"Zim!" She cried, scrambling to her feet and retreating into the house. They slammed the door and pushed against it with all of their weight, even that wasn't enough to stop him. The doorknob twisted and every once in a while, it would come partially open allowing Dib's screeching to echo through the metal pipes that made up the living room.

"GIR! Activate the house's defenses!" Zim ordered. The small robot looked down at his plate rather disappointed.

"Ok," GIR sighed as he stored the waffles in his head and darted downstairs squealing "WEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"We're doomed," Amber said pessimistically. She was jolted forward and slammed back into the door as Dib clawed at the wood

"Jeez, Zim, what did you do to him?"

"Quiet Amber! At least it makes the conquering of this pathetic planet more convenient."

"Yeah, our lives are so much easier," she grunted through gritted teeth. Dib pushed again, this time with all of his strength, and the sudden force on the other side of the door caused it to fly open. Both Zim and Amber stumbled to the ground. Her legs skidded across the carpet and she could feel the burning sensation of flesh that had just been peeled away.

Amber cringed and tried to stand but was tackled and pinned to the floor before she could react. She struggled trying to force Dib off of her. He leaned into her, his breath hot the cheek he had just slashed moments ago. It stung as it crept across the fresh wound, entering directly into her veins.

"To think," Dib whispered with a foreign tone hiding underneath his voice, spreading through his words like venom, "my host would have brought me to other mortals on his own."

Zim's spider legs rose out of his pack and lifted him above the ground. The metal scraped against tile as he rushed to her. Dib tsked as he held up one of his hands and a staff manifested in front of him. A sharp blast shot through the room, colliding with Zim's chest and propelling him back into the wall.

He directed his attention back toward Amber, eyes gleaming with scarlet irises that shone like fire. His face lowered dangerously close to her. Their noses were nearly touching. She glowered in defiance, struggling against his weight, trying unsuccessfully to get an advantage.

"Should have done your homework," he cooed while sweetly stroking her chin. A menacing smile spread across his face, calm and psychotic. Then, something happened. Dib's grip tightened and his body became rigid as if he had been paralyzed by pain.

"And you should have done yours!" Amber shouted as she took advantage of the opportunity and kicked him in the gut, hard. He was thrown off balance and she slithered out from under him.

"I fight dirty," Collins said as she raced to the kitchen, grabbing Zim's wrist on the way. Dib followed close behind.

Amber threw off the cover of the trashcan as she attempted to activate the lift. She fumbled clumsily with the code as she and Zim attempted to initiate it at the same time. Dib grabbed Zim, pulling at his wig. The irken shrieked as he yielded to the pain. The mechanical legs came out of the PAK and they struggled on the floor. Amber leapt on top of Dib, wrapping her arms around his neck in a headlock. The membrane boy threw her off of him and she crashed into the kitchen table.

Dib took Zim by the throat, and tightened his grip. She could hear the distinct gurgling and wheezing that could only come by choking. A spider leg grazed the side of Dib's shoulder and he screamed. They were rolling on the ground, now. Amber would have to think fast. Her green eyes darted between the corners of the room, scanning it as quickly as she could. She rushed to the boys that were wrestling on the floor, picking up an empty bottle as she did.

Amber was behind them. She raised the bottle into the air and swung. There was a crunching sound, muffled by the webbing of glass, a soft _clunk. _The bottle shattered, fragmenting into several pieces after the collision.

Dib's grip loosened around Zim's throat, and he released the alien as he fell to the ground. Amber panted as the dropped the remainder of the bottle. A searing pain pulsed as it traveled from her cut and bloody hands up to her shoulder. Zim pushed Dib's body away and Amber offered a hand to the small Irken.

"I require no such assistance," he said snidely while slapping away her hand. She shrugged allowing him to stand on his own.

Amber bent down beside Dib to examine his body. She placed a hand on his chest. His breathing was slow, but steady and his heartbeat was beginning to slow from its accelerated state.

"He's fine. At most he'll have a concussion." Amber said. Zim wouldn't ask the question on his own, so she answered it in a way that wouldn't lower his pride. The alien spat something about not needing her help, but she didn't pay it any attention.

"Come on, we need to restrain him." Amber ordered.

"Why should I-"

Amber shot him a look, stubborn, irritated, and boarder-line cruel. Zim quickly shut his mouth. Even _he _could sense the danger behind arguing with her at this moment in time.


	10. Chapter 9

**Into the Rabbit Hole... Erm... Portal?**

Amber prodded at his face. Dib stirred in the chair, coming back into reality. His eyes opened- still red, just like earlier. He lashed out at her but faltered as the rope tied around his wrists and arms of the chair restrained him. Dib snarled and bared his white teeth as if he were an injured animal. It was unsettling to see him act this way.

"How _dare_ you," he growled. "You have no idea what you are dealing with mortal."

"Have you looked in the mirror?" Amber scoffed, "What would you call yourself?"What would you call yourself?""ealing with mortal."an injured animal. to the

"Insolent girl! I terrorized mankind for centuries before my own brethren cast me into that purgatory!"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked as his words registered. "What are you?"

"What are you?" He question as a smile spread across his face. "You're energy is different. Not a part of this world nor are you a part of mine. Don't deny it," he leaned closer inhaling her scent, "it smells so sweet, so tasty."

Amber grabbed him by the jacket and pulled the chair so that only the front two legs were on the ground. She stabilized it with her foot and glared into the glowing eyes.

"Just answer the question." Her words cut like acid. Dib sneered, revealing several white teeth.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he snickered and his body went limp. An icy chill pierced through Amber's heart and her breath left her. Losing her balance, she stumbled backwards onto the floor and fell to her hands and knees. She panted heavily, not understanding the overwhelming and foreign sensation that had gone through her.

Cold.

She felt cold.

Dib's eyes opened and he searched the room.

"H-hey, why am I tied up? What happened," he looked at Amber with fear and confusion. "W-what are you going to do to me?"

"Dib-" Amber whispered while reaching out a hand toward him.

"Don't touch me! I'm not going to be one of you lab experiments."

"Oooo, now there's an idea," Zim said. "Can we?"

"No," Amber responded harshly. She looked at Dib and placed her hands on his shoulders. Sympathy spread in her eyes as he flinched at her touch. Despite being angry with him, she couldn't ignore the fact that something was terribly wrong. When she embraced him, she could feel his body quivering with warning and uncertainty, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"I remember," he stopped, noticing the wound underneath her right eye, "What happened? Did he-"

Amber shook her head knowing that Dib had assumed the injury had come from Zim. Offended, the alien shouted a few curses at the membrane boy, but they had more important things to worry about at that time and Amber knew it. She began untying Dib, to which Zim shouted more discontent, but Amber ignored him as she questioned Dib on what he could remember. He recited everything about the portal and Hex. It didn't really help with understanding what Hex wanted, or what he was, but it did make her realize the situation was worse than she had imagined.

"Please, I need your help." Dib begged.

Amber blinked, dumbfounded and caught off guard by the request. Zim proceeded to cackle in the corner, refusing to offer any assistance what-so-ever. She watched as Dib tried to reason with him, tried to bargain with him, and tried to blackmail him when everything else failed. But, Zim continued to refuse and treat the situation like some kind of joke- until Amber looked directly at Dib and said,

"We'll help."

The alien's jaw in shock, "You dare tell him that-"

"Zim, you can't take over the world if Hex destroys it."

The alien huffed in the corner realizing that she was right, though he hated admitting it. Dib met her gaze, searching for sarcasm or irony, but Amber nodded, indicating that she was being serious. He mouthed the words 'thank you.'

"But why do you care?" He whispered.

"Because, I don't think Hex is going to stop at this world. You said it yourself, 'he was excited about the difference here.'" Amber explained while fastening her throwing knife pack around her leg. She suspected that they were going to be fighting for a while. "But we do need to know what we are dealing with. Can you take us to the portal?"

Dib nodded and motioned for her to follow. They momentarily stopped upstairs so she could examine the gooey residue left behind from when Hex blasted Zim. She took a sample and instructed the alien to do an analysis on it while she was gone. He grimaced, but obeyed while muttering something about not doing it because she told him. It was just a coincidence because he was thinking the exact same thing. Amber rolled her eyes.

v v v

"It doesn't exist. The substance you gave me doesn't exist in this world. Are you happy?" Zim's voice shouted out of the walky-talky he had given her only a few days ago.

"No." The portal flickered before her. Amber frowned. She could see it was unstable and that it was collapsing on itself. She closed the phone and looked at Dib, "At least it gives use some idea of what we're dealing with."

"How?"

"Well, it narrows it down. Whatever Hex is, his makeup doesn't exist in this world. At least, not in the field of science."

"So, something supernatural?" Dib asked. "A ghost?"

"Maybe, but he could be something completely different altogether," Amber muttered as she held her hand up to the portal. She was amazed it had stayed open this long. The world was trying to heal itself, trying to close the tear, but couldn't. Unfortunately, that only meant it was putting more strain on the world's barrier.

"What are you thinking?"

"Truthfully," Amber sighed, "I was debating about jumping in."

"What? Are you CRAZY?"

"Well, how else do you suggest we stop it?"

Amber opened the phone. Zim was yelling at GIR, who was eating the leftover residue of the unknown chemical. She watched as the alien desperately tried to pry his malfunctioning robot away from the contents on the floor. Collins cleared her throat to get his attention and Zim dropped GIR immediately.

"What?" The alien snapped rather perturbed.

"Do you think you can replicate the material?"

"What do I look like to you? A _human _slave?"

"Can you, or not?"

Zim grumbled something about her being lucky that Irken technology was far more superior compared to Earth. Regardless, he agreed to fashion something that could fire a similar material. He reluctantly agreed to building one, after she threatened to place hidden cameras throughout his house and showing the footage to the entire school. Getting him to cooperate was like pulling teeth. She was lucky she had _some _leverage.

"He's not going to leave willingly. Even with weapons, we're still at a huge disadvantage," Dib shuddered remembering the feeling of death that was etched in his brain.

"That's why we need something that can contain him. That's why I'm going through."

"But how-"

"Hex said that his brethren imprisoned him. Maybe, they can help us with this."

"Then, I'm going, too."

"No, you're not," Amber said. Dib grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her closer to him. His expression was defiant, determined. She took his hands and lifted them away. "You and Zim need to hold the fight here, together. That portal is unstable, and I don't know how much longer it's going to be there."

"If you get trapped-"

"You still have the chance to get rid of Hex and I'll be in the same situation I am in, right now."

Dib nodded, finally understanding. It wasn't to save him; it was because it made the most sense. Either way, only one constant would change. A member of their group would be in another world. If she went, she was already in one that wasn't her own anyway, so the end result didn't matter to her.

"Be careful."

"I'm always careful," Amber smiled as she reassuringly squeezed him on the arm. She walked up to the portal, took a deep breath, and plunged into the dark abyss.

Amber fell; fell through darkness that wrapped around her like smoke. She hit the ground and the sound resonated through the new world. She stood, slightly wobbly from the crash. The portal writhed behind her, still as unstable as what it had been. Good. As long as it stayed open.

Amber stumbled through the dark room, feeling her environment with her hands. She tripped over something and screamed when her brain registered the figure of a withered corpse. A man, from what she could tell, that looked like the life had been suck out of him, literally. His bones were weak and fragile with a chin tilted slightly up and opaque eyes. Is that what Hex meant by delicious? Did he eat his victims?

Amber shuddered as she forced herself to crawl among the brittle bones and creaking floorboards that were covered in a thick layer of dust. Her head collided with a broken door. Its handle was no longer there and it was barely attached to one of the hinges. Pushing it open, she stood and watched it fly in shattered pieces across the realm. It drifted across the emerald sky that seemed to go on for miles. Amber stared out of the opening that was nearly twenty feet from the ground.

"Great, now what?" She grimaced while looking over the edge. Her eyes moved from the ground to the floating doorway ahead of her. "Well, when in Rome," and she leapt from the room while drifting to the floor. She landed softly like a cat and wandered through the maze. A disturbing feeling swept over her, and she turned thinking that someone was following her. But, no one was there and she continued.

"Hello?" Amber searched, "Is anyone there? I need help."

The atmosphere morphed and flashed, and a sudden pain surged through her body. The realm was disintegrating and her along with it. If she didn't act fast, everything would be destroyed.

v v v

"Several strange weather patterns have been occurring throughout the world. Other reports claim to have witnessed disappearance of random structures. One such example is the Eiffel Tower and it has become the universal consensus of the president that—We're all DOOMED!"

Dib sighed watching the weather. Snow in Hawaii, a heat wave in Antarctica. What had he done? The world was literally falling apart. They had to find a way to stabilize or close the portal, but with Hex still out there. An iron taste filled his mouth. He didn't notice that he had been biting his lower lip.

"Zim, are those weapons ready yet?"

"Quiet Dib!"

"You said you could replicate them."

Zim glared at Dib, who was standing over his shoulder. The process had proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. Zim could make a synthetic copy, but even Irk did not have experience with this technology. Shoving the weapon into Dib's hand, he stood and started on the next gun. There was a problem with the stability because in order to work, the synthetic material had to be mixed with a purified version of the original, which GIR was currently eating.

"I can, _Dib,_ but maybe it would go faster if you would help."

"Fine, fine," Dib whined as he sat down and attempted to replicate the shell of the gun. Cooperating proved difficult and he hoped that Amber would come back soon. Part of him wondered what was happening on her end.

v v v

Amber jumped, sensing a presence behind her, but like last time, nobody was there. It felt like she was going insane. That was the third time. She grimaced. Originally, she had tried to memorize her surroundings and continuously walk in a straight line so she wouldn't get lost. Now, Amber was wondering if there was a point to her venture. Everything was the same, eerie and unsettling. She turned backwards and stared in the direction she had just come. Maybe it was best if she turned around. The world kept appearing and disappearing with her in it. If she didn't find a way out soon-

At least if she was with Dib and Zim she could help on their end. A light radiated behind her and Amber barely had time to react as she tripped and stumbled into the new terrain. She collapsed on the tile floor and yelled as the pain spread through her leg. Damn it. What was with her getting hurt today?

"Maddie quick!" A large beefy man darted toward her. Amber instinctively flinched and felt the power pulse as the man was thrown backward by an unseen force. Her breath caught in her throat as he crashed into the table. Amber rushed to him, afraid to touch his body after what she had just done.

The regression was causing their realities to mix together, the universe to bend its own rules. A woman rushed downstairs.

"Jack!" She rushed to him and knelt beside her husband.

"I- I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean-" Amber stuttered as her emotions came to the brink of what she could handle. Her mind pulsed, again, and several beakers and test tubes shattered. Their glass skidded across the floor.

"Where did you come from?" Maddie asked with concern and curiosity in her indigo eyes.

The color in Amber's face drained as she helplessly shook her head. Without thinking about what she was doing, she fled, rushing up the stairs and into the street.

v v v

Danny Phantom crashed into a nearby building. The Box ghost was kicking his butt and he had no idea how.

"Anytime, Tucker!"

"I'm working on it!" His black friend yelled at the top of his lungs while trying to catch the ghost in the Fenton Thermos. This one was supposed to be easy, but he was making Danny, and Tucker, look like a couple of rookies. An enlarged box hit Danny upside the head and he felt his spiritual energy split. He looked up to see an exact replica of himself.

"Great, I've been trying to do that for months and the first time it's on accident!" Danny threw his arms into the air and two plasma bolts were released into the sky. His eyes glowed in frustration. His powers had been overactive today and he couldn't use them effectively. Whatever was making his enemies stronger was apparently making it impossible for him to control. He couldn't even maintain his human form anymore. A light emanated from the thermos and sucked the Box Ghost into the small vessel.

"Got him!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Finally," Danny sighed and his copy faded out of existence. A scream echoed in the distance. "Ah darn it! Not again!"

"Go, I'll follow from behind."

"Where are the all coming from?" Danny cried as he flew into the air, trying desperately to stabilize himself with the added speed.

It wasn't long until he found the origin. Skulker was chasing someone, two girls. One wore a hood to cover her face so he didn't recognize her. She was the one who was leading, dragging the second girl by her wrist; a rich, latino girl from school, Paulina, who -not surprisingly- was doing all of the screaming.

The leader turned a corner, ducking into an alley. Of course she _had_ to choose the one that dead ended. Danny followed them, genuinely concerned for their safety. They skidded to a halt, if front of a large wall. The leader cursed under her breath and Paulina criticized her idiocy.

"Hey, watch it. I'm new here."

"I can tell," Paulina chimed.

"Oh, just shut up," the girl said as she pushed the popular brat behind her. "You want me? Come and get me, Skulker."

"Is that a challenge?" the ghost inquired, entertained by her stubborn nature.

"You bet it is."

The ghost took her offer and charged with full force. Danny hastened his speed as he tried to intervene. The girl held up her hands and two trashcan lids rose into the air. With a flick of the wrist she sent them flying, as if she was throwing a Frisbee. Skulker went intangible and she cursed under her breath as he tackled her to the ground. Without a second thought, Danny threw a plasma ball at the ghost as a warning shot that sharply struck his shoulder.

"Stay out of this, ghost boy," Skulker stood. "You have no idea what this girl as done."

"I didn't do ANYTHING!"

"Ghosts have claimed seeing you in the Ghost Zone, leaving the door where Hex was bound."

"That's enough Skulker," Danny Phantom warned. The ghost's emerald eyes glowed, the way Dib's eyes had when he was possessed.

"You have 48 hours," he said to the girl before going intangible and disappearing from view. Paulina squealed, longing to interact with her hero, Danny Phantom, who had just graciously saved her. But, the girl in the green jacket grabbed her arm before she could race ahead for the opportunity to flirt.

"Leave now, Paulina."

"Listen Freak, you're new so I'm going to explain to you how things work here."

Several windows from a nearby building shattered as the girl slapped Paulina across the face.

"You listen," she said, "I've been having a _really _bad day. I suggest you don't make it worse."

"How _dare_ you?"

"Oh, I dare. Want to try me again?"

"Ok, that's enough," Danny Phantom intervened as he pulled the girl's raised arm back down. "Listen, uh, citizen. It's not safe here and you should go. I'll," he looked at the girl whose name he did not know, "have a talk with her about respecting people."

"Oh, thank you Mr. Phantom. It's good to know that at least some people still have class," Pauline said as she strutted out of the alley. The girl tried to chase after her, but Danny held a firm grip and only released when she was done cussing. Tucker came panting from around the corner.

"Hey Danny, is Paulina alright, she looked kind of freaked and," Tucker hesitated as his brain registered that Danny was not alone, "Who are you?"

"Amber," she said will pulling off her hood and her long, blonde hair fell out of the back.

"Nice cosplay," Tucker laughed, "but seriously, what's your name?"

"Cosplay?"

"Yeah, you know, from that comic book, 'The Jumper.'"

"I'm not familiar with it," Amber shrugged. It was a partial lie, as it was the one Madeline was telling her about several days ago, but they didn't know that.

"Sure you are. Of course, none of the other nerds are as pretty as you."

He grinned and Amber backed behind Danny obviously unsure of how to take the direct approach. No wonder Tucker had problems with girls. They were probably scared off by his poor flirting, and he did come across as desperate.

"Look, we don't have time for this. I need help and so do you," Amber said while brushing her bangs away from her face.

"What do you mean?"

"How are your powers working?"

It was a simple question, but he knew what she was referring to. Apparently, this girl was more adept than his parents at solving problems, or at least recognizing them. She didn't waste any time either. As soon as she saw the uncertainty in his expression, Amber was already explaining what had been happening. Danny didn't understand all of it, but the destabilization of three worlds was enough to get his attention.

The new strength behind his powers still baffled him and he had asked for her opinion on the matter. Amber had tried to explain it, but she really only had a hypothesis and it was a little out of his reach. The way he understood it, was there was a universal law between every realm. When the barriers weakened, it made it possible to bend the rules, in a sense. Because she, Danny, and any ghost in his world, had been exposed to multiple worlds, they were considered anomalies. As a result, it created a power surge effect that would release random spurts of energy.

Part of Danny wondered if she was making the story up. More importantly, how did she formulate the guess? Amber's response had been equally vague as she explained that in some worlds, she had more liberty to do tasks that were impossible in her own. She assumed it was a similar structure. Either way, whether she was fabricating it or not, they still had to stop whatever was happening, assuming that she wasn't clinically insane or making him look like a fool.

"So," Tucker asked, "how do we know you're telling the truth? I mean, the whole thing is kind of out there, don't you think?"

Amber stopped, and turned. Danny was grateful the question wasn't his.

"Skulker just gave me a deadline, he just said his powers are going wonky, your news is focused on snow in the tropics and you don't think that's proof that there's _something _going on?"

"It's just, I mean…"

"You want to see it," Amber finished understanding the request he was asking. Of course, why he needed proof was beyond her understanding. Danny Fenton's parents had a portal that regularly opened in their basement. But, if it was the only way, she would have to be clever. Amber approached Danny and took his hand in hers as if she were going to shake it. Her eyes closed in pensive thought,

"You're Danny Phantom. You're best friends are Tucker Foley and Sam Manson. You have a crush on Paulina, though I don't know what you see in her. You're secret identity is Danny Fenton. You got your powers in a lab accident at your parent's house, and no they don't know about you. Can I stop now?"

"You can do all that just by touching me?" Danny asked as his jaw dropped.

"Don't be ridiculous. I just did that for dramatic effect," Amber smiled as she released his hand.

"But, you're a comic book character!" Tucker shouted.

"So? You're a cartoon and he's half ghost, now that we established the obvious," she turned to Danny with begging eyes, "please."

"We'll go to my house and think of a plan," Danny said.

"Umm… yeah," Amber's face paled, "ah, there's something you should know."


	11. Chapter 10

**Hickory Dickory Dock, the Mouse went up the Clock...**

Dib and Zim wandered the streets with weapons in hand. Several people stopped and stared at their peculiar behavior, but hardly anyone paid them any attention. Too many of the city's citizens were in a frenzied panic. Zim was shouting at some of them, criticizing the lack of focus and the ignorance of their ill suited attitude toward the situation. Dib pulled at the alien's shirt, dragging him away from the center of town.

"You need to stop that. People are going to become suspicious."

"The meat bags don't know what will hit them. Your world will be MINE. Destroyed just like the puny planet it is!" Zim cackled, overly enthused by the damage and wreckage.

"Are you forgetting that you're going to be destroyed, too?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the alien waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, GIR. Let's hurry up and save the world so we can eradicate the _humans_, later."

The robot squeaked. Dib rolled his eyes as the two of them searched ahead. They had just examined the rubble near the portal to see if there was a way to stabilize the deteriorating rip in the space and time continuum. They had little success, not surprisingly. Dib had not expected to find anything more. I was unsettling because it meant that they were completely relying on what she found while she was a universe away. If Amber couldn't find a solution when she was gone—Dib didn't even want to consider that possibility as they attempted to locate Hex.

Keep focused, Dib reminded himself. One issue at a time was all he could handle at the moment. The light in the sky diverged, refracted as an invisible current oscillated through the atmosphere. It was almost pretty; a shimmering contrasts in a clouded sky. The colors almost mixed together, red, purple, and grey. It reminded him of a science fiction movie, or a virtual reality that should have never existed.

"Look master!" GIR squealed at a couple whose lips were pressed together, their bodies intertwined in the deep kiss, "Aw, how nice."

"Disgusting! You're kind actually-," Zim stopped.

Dib followed the direction off his gaze and sensing something was wrong, he stood frozen to the spot. Noticing that he was not alone, the man released the woman who fell limp to the ground with withered skin that was as white as snow. Her contorted body lay sprawled against the pavement with opaque eyes that starred emotionlessly into the night sky as if the life had been sucked away. Dib could feel his pulse quicken and sweat trail down the side of his face as the man tilted his chin up and met their gaze, irises red.

v v v

"You did WHAT?" Danny shouted at the top of his lungs as his body reverted back to human form. It felt so strange, changing if front of someone who he barely knew. At the same time, he didn't really have the option of controlling it at the moment.

"It was kind of an accident," Amber smiled sheepishly. She had just told him how she had met his father moments ago, and the story went over, well… actually better than she had expected.

"Can you blame her, Danny? You haven't exactly been able to control your ghost powers, either."

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to explain this to my parents?" Danny Fenton motioned at her with wide arms.

"Honestly, I doubt they would notice," Tucker muttered while pulling at Amber's hair. She winced from the pain and turned on foot, holding up a fist like she was going to hit him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just weird. Besides, this is like every fan's dream. Are you aware how cool this is?"

"Believe me, it wears off after awhile," Amber scoffed. She looked helplessly at Danny, trying to plead with him, "Can't you make something up?"

"Like what? My super ex girlfriend?"

"Yeah, like that. But without the movie references."

Danny slapped his face, not responding well to the sarcasm. He glared at her, blue eyes flashing green. Several buildings disappeared and reappeared around them, like a glitch in a video game. The sky was getting darker and thunder rolled in the distance. If only Sam wasn't out of town, on vacation with her family. She would be able to think of something.

"We could try to sneak her in," Tucker suggested. "Besides, we kind of need your parent's lab, Dude."

"I know, I know," Danny sighed. Between capturing a rogue ghost and sealing off a portal, they had no choice. And they still had to find a way to contain Hex, who did not sound like the average ghost Danny would drive away from Amity Park. From everything she had been telling them, he assumed that they would need a considerable amount of help.

"We could try Clockwork," Amber said, guessing the reason behind his apprehension, "Wouldn't he be able to help?"

"Yeah, but we would still need to get into the-" Danny hesitated, "stop that!"

"What?"

"That all knowing, thing. It's weird."

"But, Tucker knows just as much as I do. Or, is it just weird because you didn't tell me?"

Danny stared at her. The reason it bothered him was the second. It made him feel vulnerable knowing that there was someone outside his group that knew about him, but he wasn't about to admit that to her, this girl he just met. Sure there had been ghosts in the past, but that was different. Danny didn't have to live with any of them.

Amber tapped her foot impatiently when he didn't give a response. It made him reconsider that the reason he felt uncomfortable was her entire demeanor. She wasn't being patient, or considerate. Amber had practically overloaded him with information and gave him no time to adjust to it at all. Maybe, if they had met under better circumstances things would have been easier, or it could have been something entirely different. At the moment, it was too much information too fast which made Danny wary and slightly skeptical.

Vlad could have given her all of the information. It could be a trap. Yet, he knew that reason left more questions unanswered than answered. And, another point that he hated to admit, his parent's lab linked him to a world that wasn't supposed to exist. Who was to say that there weren't others? He, of all people, really had no right to question, let alone judge (another fact which Collins had graciously alluded to earlier). Amber cleared her throat, indicating that she was still waiting.

"Just, stop it, ok?" Danny said defeated. "Look, we'll have to figure something out on the way. Come on."

v v v

"Ok, the lab is on the other side of the living room. Which means we have to make it passed them," Danny whispered to Amber and Tucker as they stayed hidden behind the kitchen corner. His parents were in the living room, his father with a cold pack on his head, while his mother listened to a story about a ghost that appeared out of nowhere, whose description was "coincidentally" a mirror image of Amber.

"Are you sure it was a ghost, Jack? She looked pretty human when I saw her."

"Why are we hiding?" Amber asked under her breath. "Can't you just turn us invisible?"

"Actually, yeah. That would probably make a lot more sense," he said.

"Danny, honey, who are you talking to," Mrs. Fenton's voice rang through the room like a bell as she walked around the corner. "Oh, it's you, again."

"Who is it, Maddie? Is it the ghost?" Jack yelled as he came bumbling through the hall. Amber held up her hands defensively as if to protect herself from the large man, not that it would have done her any good considering how small she was.

"Actually," she said while imitating a British accent, "I'm afraid there's been a bit of confusion. Y- You see, I'm not- I'm not a ghost. I'm a… foreign exchange student."

"From London," Danny interrupted as he followed her lead.

"Yeah, she's in my math class," Tucker said while putting his arm around her. "We're kind of an item."

"No, no we're not," Amber announced flatly as she removed Tucker's arm away from her shoulder. "You see, I was downstairs because… because... Danny offered to show me the lab."

"Exactly, and I told her that when she got here, she could just come inside and meet me," Danny explained.

"But, why did you want to see the lab anyway," Maddie asked, genuinely curious.

"I-I... Umm…"

"Want to learn about ghosts!" Danny interrupted. The response sounded a little forced, but it was enough. His father, unable to contain his enthusiasm, jumped up and down and took Amber's hands is his apparently completely forgetting about the incident earlier. Of course, if they gave him someone willing to listen to his ramblings, his father would graciously take on the task.

"You want to learn about ghosts?" Jack Fenton exclaimed. "I can teach you everything I know about ghosts."

"Well, actually-"

"And when you grow up, you can become a ghost hunter, just like me!"

"Umm…" Amber said with uncertainty. Hesitantly, Danny put a hand on her shoulder. He hadn't expected his father to be quite as ecstatic as what he had become. But, it did give them the break they needed. After all, why would a ghost be interested in learning about ghost? The lie they had crafted was actually fairly solid, to his surprise. Though, Danny assumed, Amber probably had as much experience manipulating words and avoiding questions as he did.

"So, I'm going to show Amber the lab."

"Sure thing Danny- boy? I can help!"

"No, no, that's ok," Danny said as he pulled Amber away from his parents. Maddie Fenton grabbed her husband as he tried to follow the kids. Jack Fenton sulked a little as his wife asked to give them some space so that they wouldn't scare off their new enthusiast. Danny smiled at his mother, grateful for her intervention as they walked downstairs.

"It was nice meeting you," Amber called over her shoulder, not sure how else to respond.

v v v

Dib turned and fired the gun. A ball of pure energy soared through the sky. A shadowed figure burst out of the man that had been possessed only a few moments ago. Now it was only Hex, a dark essence of the night, who chased them down the block. In a desperate attempt to gain the advantage, Dib and Zim split their paths, Dib going one way and Zim had gone another, but Hex did not seem to have any interest in the alien as he hunted down Dib.

The membrane boy continued to run, he was panting as he fought to keep his legs moving. Surely, a moment hesitation could mean the end of his life. Dib turned into an alley corner while trying to lose him in the maze of staircases and trashcans as he leapt over several empty boxes.

"Now child, why do you deny the inevitable?" Hex's ominous essence manifested in front of them. "You still don't understand do you?"

"I don't need to!" Dib shouted as he blasted his weapon again. Hex screeched as it made contact and he fell to the ground.

"Maybe, you're not as stupid as you look," He cackled in a low and deep harmonic. Dib winced as the sound vibrations beat heavily on his eardrums. That brief moment was all Hex needed as he tackled and pinned Dib to the ground. The membrane boy struggled as he stared into the glowing eyes and shapeless face. Hex grinned and Dib could see the fangs, dripping with sticky, green goo that hung from the pointed tips and dribbled down Hex's chin.

"Too bad it doesn't do you any good."

v v v

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Amber asked sitting beside Tucker in the Specter Speeder, a vehicle designed to go into the Ghost Zone. She held an extra Fenton Thermos in her lap. It seemed like a minor object, to her, since she had seen what Hex was capable of. Tucker operated the vehicle and twisted a few dials as he concentrated on driving.

"It worked on every other ghost before him," Danny explained. He hadn't changed into his ghost form, yet. Being human had its advantages in the ghost realm, mostly due to the fact that nobody else could touch him. They approached clockwork's domain and Danny held out his hand to Amber asking if she was ready, morphing into Danny Phantom as he did.

She nodded, uncertain as her own hand quivered above his. Understanding her reach as an invitation, he took her hand and the icy chill flowed through her arm. They went intangible and Danny led her through the Specter Speeder. Amber trembled as she felt herself pass through the walls, her own body slinking through the solid molecules of the vehicle. They passed into the building and he released her on solid ground. Breath that Amber didn't even know she was holding was exhaled from her lungs.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah," Amber nodded, "I just don't like it."

"You'll get used to it, come on," he ordered as they walked deeper into the hallway. Surprisingly, she kept very close to him, which Danny didn't expect. She had seemed so confident when he talked to her earlier that day. But, everything had happened so fast, perhaps this was her first opportunity for her brain to register what was happening.

"I have to hand it to you," Danny said trying to get her to relax, "you're handling everything pretty well."

"Really? Umm… Thanks," her face turned slightly pink, "but, honestly, I'm shaking on the inside."

They smiled weakly at each other and quickly looked away. Footsteps echoed in the emptiness. A ticking sound emanated from the distance and the sound resonated louder as they got closer to the opening. A hooded ghost stood in the center of the room, surrounded by clocks and small televisions.

"I was wondering when you would come," Clockwork said as his childish form shifted into a young man.

"You knew we were coming," Amber asked.

"I know all things past, present, and future," he drifted around her, "you came about Hex."

Danny and Amber nodded. He noticed that her face was losing color, whether it was from the strain the world was putting on her or from fear, Danny wasn't sure. Amber swayed slightly and he took her shoulder to stabilize her body. She shook her head to clear the dizziness caused by the unbalanced sensation she was experiencing. The stress must have been getting to her.

Clockwork motioned to a television screen on the wall. Unlike the others, its image would fade in and out of view, covered with static as the picture shifted. The pixels blinked on the malfunctioning screen and Amber could see Dib's figure restrained on the ground by the ghost that had escaped. A burst of pure, emerald energy collided with Hex as Zim's attack made contact. In that instant, Dib scrambled to his feet and they fled the alley with Hex following close behind.

The screen went black.

"I can only see pieces," Clockwork explained, "my powers are limited to those on this plane. The one that Hex is currently in is too far from my sight."

"What do you mean?"

"Walls between some worlds are weaker, particularly in worlds that run closer together." Clockwork shifted into an older man. Amber shuddered at the red glow in his irises. They reminded her of Hex. Whether Clockwork noticed it or not, he directed his gaze to a corner in the room.

"But, I don't get it." Danny said, "Why is everyone here so focused on this ghost?"

"Hex draws power from energy: ghosts, which are the extra energy left behind after death, and human. The staff allows him to release it at will," Clockwork paced around the room. "Of course, nobody truly understands how he does it. The past would suggest he absorbs physical abilities through his staff and spiritual through a kiss."

"Like a Dementor's kiss?" Amber asked while trying to gain a better understanding.

"I am unfamiliar with the term."

"Can't you just rewind time and stop the portal from opening?" Danny questioned. It was more of an outside thought rather than a request.

"Supposedly, but it would destroy the other realm in the process. Hex would still be there, feeding on any living thing he can find. I told you, I can only turn back time on this plane. The other is too far. "

"But, you could," Amber continued, "If we brought him back, I mean. And everything would go back to normal?"

Clockwork's form shifted into a young man, again. He came dangerously close to her, and held eye contact for several minutes. Collins could feel her body become cold. He drifted around her, examining every part of her figure.

"Yes," he said with a deep tone in his voice, making him sound bored.

"On both sides?"

Clockwork nodded. Apparently, he was strong enough to reach the other realm, but not fix it completely. He compared it to a rubber band. The further he pushed, the weaker his ability would become and the harder it was to control. But, that didn't matter. As long as he could stop it from collapsing on itself. Amber sighed, relieved. They had a plan. Things were looking up.

"How do we let you know when to do it?"

"I will know. I told you. I see all things on this plane."

"Great," Amber said as she motioned Danny to follow her.

"If you don't mind Amber, I would like a word, alone."

"Ahh," she exchanged a confused glance with Danny, who offered to wait for her outside. "Ok."

Amber approached Clockwork, who waved his hands over several consecutive screens. They were nothing more than glimpses, broken pieces of some of her past, some more clear than others.

"Your place in time eludes me," Clockwork muttered under his breath, "much like that of the Time Lords."

"You know about Time Lords?"

"They leave echoes- nothing more- much like yourself."

"Echoes?" Amber asked, befuddled. She watched as Clockwork swept a hand over the screens that she had appeared on and they disappeared from view, as if they had never been there. His form shifted into a small child and he watched the ectoplasmic energy outside of his domain stir and swerve. Some time passed as he considered his words, choosing them carefully so not to frighten the young girl.

"You do not exist in this place or his for that matter," Clockwork said while motioning to Danny. "Each place you go, you leave a fingerprint, one that never should have existed. What did you do in order to disrupt these places so much?"

"I don't understand."

"You will, in time. Meanwhile, keep in mind that your actions will affect these places on a scale even I don't understand. If you die, I would hate to think of the consequences, creating energy that before had never existed in a particular world. I can't help but assume that disrupting a common law would have a catastrophic affect, and if it sent a ripple to other places you have been…"

"You're saying I'm destroying these worlds, just by coming to them."

"I'm saying you should find your way home as soon as possible," Clockwork said.

Amber nodded as she turned to leave.

"Amber."

She stopped hearing Clockwork call her name. Turning over her shoulder, she faced him.

"Be careful when you go after Hex, unless you wish to create a new reality for yourself as well."

"What do you mean?"

"All in good time."

Amber bit her lip. Under normal circumstances, she may have forced him to tell her what he meant. Or, the comment would have stopped her from leaving entirely and she would have remained behind to ponder the cryptic words. But, these were not normal circumstances and they had to keep pushing ahead. And, with that knowledge in mind, Amber met Danny outside the room and the boarded the Specter Speeder. As they sped through the ghost zone, they discussed plans, who would go, who would stay. What they would do, who they would meet.

Amber watched her surroundings as they journeyed through the endless sky. Clockwork's words were still fresh in her brain. She played with the idea, rearranged the words and did everything she could to make sense of them. As the phrases distracted her more and more from the task at hand, she pushed them into the back of her mind. She supposed that she would just have to wait. It wasn't important enough to tell her out loud, apparently, so there was a strong possibility that they meant nothing. Yet, something still bothered her.

Clockwork referred to the realms as if they were living breathing things. They weren't…

Were they?


	12. Chapter 11

**The Battle**

Amber and Danny left Tucker behind as they entered the portal together. They needed someone to stay behind, in case something happened to one of them. The group had agreed that keeping Tucker behind would be beneficial, especially with his prior experience with the Fenton inventions and how adaptable he was with technology. Not only that, but it left a messenger in case they couldn't make it back, someone who could work on the inside.

Amber watched the atmosphere swirl as they entered back into the world she had just left. Danny (who was still in ghost form) followed her as she led him through town. Everything was quiet, too quiet for the eradication of an entire universe, but she suspected that was because most people had already evacuated town with the amount of destruction Hex had bround.

"What do you think?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. I mean, it's not like I can see them."

The wind intertwined its invisible fingers through trees and grass. It crept through the night and kissed the back of their necks and finger tips. Amber jumped at the breeze and grabbed onto Danny before she had realized what she was doing. Embarrassed and blushing she muttered an apology before letting go. The warnings they had received about Hex were enough to terrify her. Dyeing was not something she had arranged for today and she didn't want that to change. They wandered through the town, where a thick fog had settled.

"So, your friend," Danny said while trying to strike conversation, "he's green."

"Yeah, he's an alien," Amber said almost too nonchalant. The question was less peculiar than it sounded, as she had told him and Tucker about it prior to leaving the Ghost Zone. Danny laughed, thinking that it was a joke, before Amber turned and cocked her head to the side.

"Oh," his opaque skin paled even more and almost matched his snow white hair. "You were being serious."

Amber nodded as they walked through the deserted street. There was a body on one of the street corners, withered away as if the life had been sucked away. It must have been Hex, she assumed from what Clockwork had told her. A squeal echoed in the distance and GIR came into view. She grinned as the little robot came into view and rocked up and down on his toes. Danny watched, unsure how to respond as Amber knelt on the ground and hugged the little drone.

"Oh, GIR, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"That's a robot," Danny said absentmindedly.

"GIR, where's Zim?"

The robot stared at her, with a vacant expression in its eyes. They glazed over as he searched the street as if afraid to give her an answer.

"I don't knoooooooooow."

"What do you mean you DON'T know?"

"Cupcake?"

GIR held up the small pastry and Amber's expression shifted from anger to annoyance. She continued to remind herself to control her temper as she restrained the desire to hit the metal creature over the head. Amber gritted and bared her teeth as Danny asked her something about it being the same world as from the T.V. show, but she was currently preoccupied with other issues such as trying to get information on Hex or Dib, none of which GIR had the answers for. Not knowing what other options they had, the group started making their way back to the lab. Danny placed a hand on the back of Amber's shoulder and she smiled at the gesture as he tried to console her. They talked, mostly on the task at hand as they tried to find a way to lure back to the portal.

A few more blocks, and there was a scream. Dib headed directly toward them in a black blur. Instinctively, Danny had gone intangible for a brief moment and Dib ran through him and collided with Amber, who fell to the ground. When she finally was able to react to what had happened, she blew her bangs out of her face, miffed at the amount of times she had been tackled in one day.

"You're back!" Dib exclaimed as he gratefully threw his arms around Amber's neck.

"Uh—yeah…" she said confused looking at Danny, "Umm… Dib, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, well… Better now that you figured out what Hex is—You did figure out what Hex is, right?"

Amber nodded and began to explain, to the best of her ability, the Ghost Zone and everything in it. As the story continued, she became wary as Dib showed more excitement rather than caution as the tale progressed. By the time she had introduced Danny, she had thought that Dib would explode with enthusiasm. Luckily, the ghost Amber had brought with her was the perfect thing to snap him back into reality.

"You brought a ghost, to fight another ghost?" Dib clarified clearly insulted by what Amber had done.

"Yes," she confirmed, and then realizing who she was speaking with, corrected her statement. "I mean, no… Uh… maybe?"

It led to a rather long lecture from Dib, which Amber counteracted with several excuses to explain her idea. Unfortunately, neither of them was willing to listen to the other side as Dib criticized and Amber defended herself. Eventually, Danny had to interrupt and remind them that there were other issues that were more important. Remembering the task at hand, both of them let the conversation drop.

Dib had filled Amber in on what she had missed during her absence. Apparently, Zim had gone missing and may have been the result of Dib tripping him as they were running away from Hex. Amber- refusing to stay calm with so few resources and allies who understood the extent of what was happening- hit Dib upside the head. When he protested the violence, she gladly used the excuse to do it, again, before Danny grabbed her wrist and restrained her as best as he could. Irritated, they continued down the street. The silence was unsettling, Danny noted as Amber and Dib refused to acknowledge the other one's presence. Maybe the fighting was better.

Danny Phantom flew above the clouds, trying to see anything, or at least get away from the silence. Amber had called up to him, but he couldn't hear as he continued to scout ahead. It was an easy and a fluid movement as he weaved through the clouds. He landed back down on the street and looked back, realizing that he had gone further ahead than expected.

A blast of green energy came out of nowhere and hit Danny in the chest. He cringed as he was smashed into a wall and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Zim, a character Danny had recognized from his childhood, cackled in the distance, his backpack emitting sparks. He didn't seem completely in his right mind as he flailed his fist and argue with himself, yelling something about being inferior and no match for his advanced capabilities.

"Oh, great," Amber scoffed as she rushed around the corner, "now look at what you've done, Dib."

"Now isn't the time, guys," Danny cried as he flew back into air.

"Where are we going?" Dib asked as he and Amber followed the phantom's lead.

"First, Hex out of Zim. Second, portal," Amber exclaimed as she threw a knife in Zim's direction. It barely missed as it skimmed the edge of his cheek. "You said you wanted something different Hex. Well, come get us."

They fled through the ominous streets. The lights flickered dangerously above them as they turned into an alley where shadows lingered on the walls. Another blast collided with Danny, who crashed on the pavement. Dib stopped and turned back to help him, but Amber was focused on other things. She leapt onto a fire escape and scrambled up the metal steps. When Danny and Dib had passed her, she threw several flower pots intending to hit Zim. Hex was too fast, as he forced Zim's body to dodge and the ceramic broke on the sidewalk below.

"How is he even doing that?" Amber wondered out loud as the ghost activated the alien's spider legs and rose into the air. She flinched as he landed on top of the railing and was eye level with her. Amber tried to jump to the next ledge, but cursed as her foot slipped and she was free falling to the ground. A spider leg latched onto the back of her jacket and lifter her into the air. Amber struggled, insecure without having her feet on stable ground and she was once again eyelevel with Hex.

"Come on, Zim. You're going to let that thing control you?" Amber challenged. For a moment, the alien's eyes quivered as if a distant recollection was reached.

"He is a different type of host," Hex chuckled low and deep, "but, not strong enough to resist. You are-"

Hex smelled her and licked his lips. Amber struggled and a green blast sailed through the sky and hit Zim who doubled over in pain and dropped her. She screamed as she plummeted freely before being caught by Danny. He set her on the ground and she trembled as her heat beat rapidly. Without thinking, they rushed and the surrounding flickered out and back into view. Amber and Danny shared a knowing glance as Hex chased after them.

Amber flicked her wrist and forced herself to feel the familiar pulse of what she had in the Ghost Zone. A trashcan soared through the narrow alley and collided with Zim who toppled over and stumbled backward. She muttered an apology that was barely audible as they continued to lead him closer to the field. Suddenly, they skidded to a stop as Zim crawled in front of them. He must have used his legs to gain the extra distance and he descended from what appeared to be nowhere.

"Any ideas?"

"Not currently," Amber answered.

Another beam of energy struck Zim from behind as Dib fired his weapon and fled. Hex followed, taking the bait. When they had finally reached the field where the portal swirled, Danny took the opportunity and threw the ball of ectoplasm that forced Hex to scream in frustration.

"ENOUGH!" Hex cried as he released his hold on Zim, who fell to the ground, incapacitated by the strain on his body.

A screech echoed through the night, and all of them collapsed on the grass. The sound vibrated and tore at their insides as all of them lay paralyzed, unable to move. Amber twitched as she tried to force herself to move. A red liquid dripped from her ear down the side of her face as she was crippled by Hex's scream. Hex hovered over Dib. He picked him up by the shirt as the ghost greedily licked his lips. Danny sprung on top of him, trying to pry him off and they struggled. Amber held up a knife and attacked hoping she could make contact as he was distracted, but Hex merely allowed the blade to slide eloquently through his shadowed frame. The warmth drained from Amber's cheeks as her weapon slid through icy mist and Hex slapped her hard enough for her to topple and roll across the field.

The Fenton Thermos clattered on the ground and spun. Danny was thrown into a tree and reverted back into Fenton as he made contact. Hex approached Amber as she forced herself to stand. Dib looked at her, in no better condition, she noted as she saw the scrapes and bruises across his face and arms. He panted. Amber cringed; they were losing time and endurance.

Hex hoisted her off of the ground and bent over her, his mouth open. She twisted in his grip, trying to kick and punch but was too exhausted to focus on an escape. He bent over, his hood folding back and Amber could see the emptiness beneath. Squeezing her cheeks, her mandible cradled in one of his sickeningly, thin hands he forced her mouth open. His mouth pressed on hers and she felt the cold writhe its way through her body as he began to take the air from her lungs. There was a flash of light and he dropped her. Amber inhaled sharply and coughed as she watched Zim fire several round on his weapon. Hex went intangible and the blasts phased through them. He went after Zim, and Danny changed back into his ghost form throwing several ectoplasm balls as he did. They charged at each other, full force.

Amber crawled across the field to the thermos, crying as she did. Dib had begun fighting, also. The three of them tried to hold off the unstoppable force. She groaned as the pain spread through her body as the heat returned to her veins, like warming muscles that had just come inside from the bitter cold. She wasn't completely aware of what she was doing, but she was going to get that thermos. Hex released another screech and she doubled over in pain along with her allies.

Zim was thrown across the field, knocking the thermos further away. Amber wheezed as she redirected her focus. The sky oscillated again and she felt her and Danny fade away before returning on the plane. The wind was stronger and Amber felt the familiar pulse as she was lifted into the air, unable to control what the worlds were doing to her, to them. Helplessly, she grabbed onto a nearby root which could not hold her weight. She was cast backwards, hitting Dib and sandwiching him between her and the tree.

Danny struggled as he attempted to maneuver through the air. He and Hex collided and crashed onto the ground. Phantom winced and frost spread from the tips of his fingers and cascaded outward forming spikes, one of which scraped Zim's mechanical arm and caused him to slip on the grass. The alien fell on top of Danny, which catalyzed Danny's double-ganger ability and several copies were released from the original, but were unable to hold their form as the scenery faded out and back into view as the ground and sky ruptured, forming tears that glowed black, green, and gold.

Amber forced herself to stand with Dib's help as he pushed her back onto her feet. The world moved faster than her body and she struggled for balance. Dib stabilized her as he held her by the waist and they walked together. They tripped and Amber's hand was an inch within reach of the thermos as the tips of her fingers drew it closer to her and into her grasp. Dib helped her stand as she swayed and aimed the machine, fumbling with the latch as Danny attempted to block Hex's next attack. An ectoplasm shield went up around the ghost boy and pulsed, forming an attack as it spread out and threw Amber backward. Dib caught her and she fumbled uselessly with the gadget in her hand.

"Come on, come on," Amber mumbled as she fidgeted with the Fenton Thermos as if it was a complex rubix cube. She began to fade out of existence as time passed and her fingers felt disconnected with her brain as they numbly fidgeted with the latch.

At the very last moment, it opened and with a glittering spiral of white light, a beam was emitted from the thermos. It intercepted Hex's figure and pulled him in. Amber fell to the ground, exhausted from the strain on her body. The world unraveled in front of her, melting away as if it had never been. She turned her head and looked at the portal that continued to writhe and expand. The gravity pulled the edges into itself and the energy release pulsed through the air, uprooting trees and boulders formed mountains as they came unearthed in the field.

She called out to Danny Phantom and watch helplessly as he reached toward her. Zim and Dib were pulled away. His figure elongated and she cried as she tried to stand with little success as the tears rolled down her face. The wind bellowed and a gust sent them flying. Amber collapsed and laid on the ground gasping for breath and the universe bore all of its weight on her. She couldn't scream, the only sound produced was a faint wheeze. Collins could barely breathe as she forced herself to sit in the deteriorating landscape.

Feebly, she crawled to the edge of the portal, her body fading into the atmosphere. Then, a sudden force collided with her, and Danny carried her through the dyeing link, the gateway that connected that world to the Ghost Zone. But they had barely entered it when everything crashed down on top of them. Amber screamed as black currents produced random bolts of electrical power. Both worlds throbbed and she could feel the steady beat as a new surge of power was sent through the connecting link.

The gravity pulled her apart, stretching her with a sudden strength that originated from deep within the universe's core. Amber gasped as the pain radiated from her body, exploding outward. She sobbed as the pressure expanded outward and prevented her from moving. Her blood leaked from her mouth, nose, and eyes, mixing with tears and blurring her vision.

Time stopped, the pause button struck. She stood frozen on the movie screen as it began to rewind and rewrite on its own accord. There was no more pain, no more blood, and no more tears as the clock spun backwards erasing what could have and would have been.

v v v

Dib woke up in an empty field, unsure of how he got there. Zim was beside him and just beginning to stir. It surprised him. He didn't think Irkens slept. The alien rubbed his head, baffled.

"You'll never stop me Dib, I- I-" he observed his surroundings.

"What are we doing here?" Dib asked. A broken down machine sparked a few feet away and he presumed it was another one of Zim's inventions that had malfunctioned.

"Wouldn't you like to know, _Dib?_" Zim shouted as he picked up a nearby gun and limped away. Dib watched was the alien paid no mind and a green dog met him further down the street. After a few minutes, he stood and examined the broken down device that served some importance at a different **time…**

Dib shook his head unable to place what it had been used for, or even what it had done. Actually, he couldn't recall anything from the past few days. Nothing.

Little did he know…

Neither could Zim…

v v v

Amber wrestled in her sleep, unable to gain the amount of rest she needed. For a moment, her eyes opened, but that had resulted in a blaring headache as the first things she had seen were white walls, white sheets, and white bandages. She shut her eyes as she processed it in her brain.

Why was she in a hospital?

Too groggy to focus on the question, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and Amber fell back asleep, a mixture of too much strain on her body and the anesthetics the doctors had given her.

_End Book 5_

_Special shout out to my dear friend, Axels-grrl, whose encouragement and support actually helped me finish this section in my story. Thanks for proofreading and keeping all the characters in character._


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